Forever in the Never After
by Neko Anomaly
Summary: A new set of villain have risen and are targeting the families of the cast of Soul Eater. The story deals with the growing pains of the cast when they realized even Miesters and Weapons must eventual grow up. Story revolves around all cast. Kid POV SxMxK
1. Chapter 1

Soul Eater: Forever in The Never After Chapter 1 (revised Friday January 21, 2011)

Kid looked down at the polish on his shoes, admiring the symmetry. The shoes were equally broken in and evenly covered with the thick black goo. He took out two rags and polished the left shoe with the rag he had assigned to it. An onlooker would never notice the difference between the two rags but Death the Kid could tell: it was his gift, or rather, his curse.

These little routines brought balance to his life. Small chores that could chip away at the time to make the lonely hours pass more quickly. Small chores that allowed him to ignore his loneliness. Kid raised the shoes in the now fading light. Its amber glow danced across the roof tops and chimney of Jigoku, the city of death. A whole day of productive chores completed, a whole day without Patty and Elizabeth driving him insane or ruining his precious routines. A whole day utterly wasted.

Kid let out a sigh, his house was pristine and organized. The white walls and black carpets immediately brought attention to any item out of place. It was nearly impossible to keep his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder under control without others around. Sadly, he had learned to tune out Patty's and Elizabeth's mayhem as if it were merely white noise. If their shrieking and jabbering weren't directed at him, he could simply ignore it and continue with his day. Only when their antics were thrust in his face did he even acknowledge it.

No one really understood how different Death the Kid's vision of the world actually was. Simple, boring events that led to death could all be predicted if he concentrated enough. All the deaths in the world were planned down to a second. Being the Grim Reaper's son meant understanding that nothing was, in fact, random at all. The signs are always there when death comes. You just have to be able to read them. Every seemingly ordinary day there will be at least twelve choices in which determine whether a person's life will continue or cease. Should no outside source interfere with eight of those twelve choices, that person will die.

Kid understood Death better than anyone else; he had lived with its personification all his life until recently, when he had chosen to move out on his own with Patty and Liz.

He understood that the _way_ a person dies is completely separate from _when_ a person dies. Every individual death is as messy or as clean as the fates allow, but usually there is always some dark irony in the way people leave their souls… This dark irony is what gives normal human beings the illusion of free will when everything is pretty scripted in life.

Being the son of Death and a grim reaper himself, Death the Kid was immune to what most people scrambled to not look at. He was exempt from simple death by mundane events that humans suffer. Being a reaper lets you sense the patterns and unconsciously avoid them. An ordinary human does not have that kind of sixth sense. Only Shinigami, Meisters and those chosen to be weapons can see these events. An occult force could actually kill Kid, but at times he wondered if were boredom might lead to his real undoing.

These nihilistic attitudes had alienated Death the Kid from almost everyone in Jigoku. Many were awed at the shear amount of work he performed, completing both his soul reaping and meister training every day. But those who managed to spend any amount of time with him found out how neurotic he was and made him a laughingstock. Sure, Patty and Elizabeth pretended to understand his mad rambling and tried to comfort him, but the only person that truly understood him was his father. Being the Grim Reaper, a Shinigami, gives you all sorts of insight into the world and how people behave.

To Kid's amazement Death did not share his son's nihilistic thoughts and antisocial behaviors. Death didn't have OCD either. Death was actually quite sociable; jovial, really. He could find the humor in almost anything and loved a good laugh. If you've heard that old saying "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life" you know that Oscar Wilde drew the wrong conclusion entirely. Death imitates art. It's got nothing to do with life. Death was especially happy when art imitated him and his work. Show the Grim Reaper a painting of a battleground littered with dead soldiers and you will see his chest puff out like proud papa. If you're lucky you'll escape before he breaks into one of his long stories about how much work he did back then and how much planning and orchestrating a long battle takes.

Kid grimaced; it was almost time for him to have dinner with his father. Lately that seemed more like a chore. Now that his father wasn't hiding so many dark secrets he was becoming more and more talkative about his glory days. Death the Kid realized that the day was approaching when he would be the one known only as Death. This irritated him, he knew he had been groomed for this position from birth but he didn't feel like he'd ever be able to achieve his own goals or experience the glory of death. There were no painted battle grounds of modern day wars, just shoddy journalism and glorified camera work from news people trying to score a Pulitzer.

Kid allowed himself the luxury of a little rant. "I want to accomplish something on my own before I take over for dad. I'm still a one-star meister, for god's sake! I haven't turned my weapons into Death Scythes and I'm still not in control of myself. I haven't even kissed a girl yet! " He reluctantly put on his shoes and trudged over to his bureau, where he straightened his skull neck-tie and made sure his black sports coat was free of any lint or dandruff. He palmed some wax into his hair so it was free of any flyaway strands.

"This is the best it's going to get," He growled at the bureau's mirror. He glared hard at his reflection, his eyes locked on the white asymmetrical stripes on the left side of his hair. He grimaced and mouthed the word "Appalling."

With one last look Kid planted his freshly polished shoe on the bottom bureau drawer and pushed himself through the mirror. It was the quickest way to get to his father's house and he wasn't in the mood to walk today.

Oddly enough, Death's brown-clad butler was waiting on the other side of the mirror, which emptied into the Shinigami's parlor. The butler stared straight forward as he reached for Kid's hand in order to help him through the mirror. The man had a handle bar mustache that hid his lips and was slightly thicker on one side. His hair was parted perfectly down the middle but left large piles of dandruff on his tweed suit. Kid felt his eyebrow twitch and he tried not to cringe. He immediately looked away and found he wasn't alone in the room. Spirit, his father's personal Death Scythe was enjoying a glass of wine and babbling to his daughter Maka who was sitting on the chaise beside him looking utterly bored.

"Maka, I'm surprised to see you here." Kid called out smoothly.

A dark cloud seemed to be hovering over Maka's head but it vanished as she bounced off the couch.

"Hi Kid-kun," Maka gave her father a sideways glance and then coughed to adjust her voice, "I'm glad you're here. Shinigami-sama said that you might not come tonight because you've been irritated with him."

Kid couldn't hide the shocked look on his face; he thought the he had been able to hide his discontentment with this new talkative father that rambled on about work. He turned his attention back to Maka and felt the back of his neck break out in perspiration.

"Are you and your father dining with us tonight?" Kid questioned hoping that Maka would, indeed, be staying.

"Yeah, I lost a bet and have to spend a few hours with my Dad." Maka said flipping a pig tail over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Kid chuckled and Maka gave him a grin.

"You can at least pretend that you care I'm in the room." Spirit huffed before plowing out of the parlor. Death's oddly dressed butler followed him as he navigated his way through the maze of hallways.

"Your Dad seems unusually irritated tonight. I don't think I have ever seen him raise his voice to you." Kid said thoughtfully.

"We had an argument just before you got here. I was worried I was going to be alone with him tonight. I'm so glad you came." she let out a relieved breath and her shoulders slumped forward.

Kid suddenly noticed that their proximity had changed. Maka's forehead nearly touched his chest. If he moved closer he might be able to embrace her. It might even appear to be a friendly, comforting gesture. Kid swallowed hard and tried to silence his mind. He slowly moved forward and reached a ringed hand for Maka's back. Maka felt his arm brush around her and froze, both cheeks reddening. Kid looked into her eyes for some form of protest but only found two inquisitive green orbs staring back at his.

"I'm sorry you had to come though you didn't want to." Kid was looking for anything to say, anything to break the silence as he wrapped his other arm around Maka, pulling her closer.

Something about Maka made Kid gravitate toward her. He'd discovered that a knot formed in his stomach whenever Maka went out on a mission with Soul. Hell, he had a knot in his stomach every time _he_ was on the battlefield with Maka. There was something about Maka's fighting style that he just didn't trust. He felt like she could be swept away any second. Every time Maka resonated souls with Kid and Black Star, Kid reached out for Maka's soul first. Using his astral resonance he'd grab Maka's soul in a vice-like grip and try to shield it as a Meister does with a weapon but her soul always slipped away from him. Kid wished he could protect her but he knew Maka would never allow it even if it were possible. She was determined to be as good a meister as her mother. But that obsession, fueled by her fierce temper, led to impulsive, risky behavior and that made Kid afraid.

Maka suddenly realized that she'd been leaning against Kid too long for a friendly hug and broke the embrace. "I'm sorry Kid-kun; I didn't mean to dump my problems on you. I just feel so stressed out lately."

"I don't mind, honestly. You know Maka, you can tell me anything." He whispered to her, his eyes soft and understanding.

Maka looked utterly vulnerable for a moment before plastering a fake smile on her face. "So when do you think we will have dinner?" she chirped, doing her best to change the subject.

"I'm not entirely sure." Kid replied reluctantly. "You see, time doesn't pass normally on this side of reality. Days can feel like a matter of minutes or a month long here. Didn't your dad explain that to you before you came?"

"No." her smiling mask shifted into one of anger for a second before regaining its composure. Kid took note of subtle change and decided he wouldn't pry about her father any more tonight.

"My father always forgets to mention anything important like that. That's one of the reasons I can't stand him." Maka said trying to get her voice to remain even.

"Well the quickest way to find out if it will be ready soon is to pop down to the kitchen and see how things are coming along. If it's going to be a while we might be able swipe a snack or a couple of appetizers, if you're hungry." Kid offered. He was enjoying this time alone with Maka, and he hoped that this was going to be one of those evenings that stretched on and on. It was a nice phenomenon if it happened while things were going well. The strange fluctuation in time had a lot to do with the moods and desires of Death himself. If death wanted to spend a long time with his guests, time stretched out. If death was bored or discontent, then visitors would pass their time in the Never After quickly. A whole dinner party would be over in a matter of moments should Death be in a mood.

Death the Kid took Maka by the hand and led her out of the room. The strange checkerboard-tiled hallways were lined with weird looking doors that came in sets of two, opposite each other. Kid could see Maka was taking in the strange manor as if it a fun house. She poked her head around doors, looked at the gaudy architecture and gazed around quizzically.

"This house reminds me of something from_ Alice in Wonderland_ or _Through the Looking Glass_." She observed.

"Lewis Carroll's books? I've always thought of it more like one of Tim Burton's creations- more like Beetle juice." Kid replied.

"I love that movie." Maka laughed.

"So did my father." Kid rolled his eyes. "Kitchen's through here, watch your step."

Two wide steps led down into a sunken kitchen that stretched a good forty-five meters and was filled with every pot, pan and kitchen appliance in existence. Maka eyes got as huge as saucers. Kid, who had seen the site many times, was unimpressed.

"This room could hold an Olympic size pool!" Maka burst out.

"Actually its five meters short of that, but almost." Kid said, noticing that the ghostly kitchen staff was just beginning to prepare dinner.

"Hotels don't even have kitchens like this!" Maka said, examining a mammoth mortar and pestle. "This is so cool! Thank you for showing me Kid-kun."

For the life of him, Kid couldn't understand her delight, or the way she was bouncing around to look at all the kitchen supplies. But the way Maka skipped from one area to the next gave him the idea she was more enamored with cooking supplies than Patty and Elizabeth were with shoes. And that was saying something.

"You like all this stuff?" Kid asked.

"Yes! I don't cook because I have to; I cook because I love it." Maka said, staring at another kitchen item with reverence. Her stomach growled loudly, "I also cook because if I don't make it at home it doesn't get done. Soul either forgets or burns things. Like today for example." Maka realized she's insulted Soul in front of Kid, blushed furiously and gave a nervous giggle.

Kid watched her cheeks grow flush and found himself staring at her with a blush on his face as well. Something about Maka's laugh and Maka's excitement was contagious. Kid immediately looked away so that Maka couldn't see his red face. "Well I have bad news for you. It appears that today may be one of those days where time will drag itself out. There is nothing cooking in this kitchen yet. But if you're hungry we could get some snacks and hang out up in my old room till they call us for dinner."

"Would that be okay? I mean Shinigami-sama won't get mad if we spoil our dinner will he? I can just wait." Maka stammered. She looked nervous and defeated all at the same time.

"No, it won't matter." Kid assured her. He took a good three strides across the kitchen to reach her and rub her arms. He was making a deliberate excuse to touch her, but she didn't seem to notice. Or maybe she just didn't mind: either way this was good. He and Maka would have more time together; they could snack and goof off while their parents talked.

With each little gesture Kid made toward her, he was felt more confident in himself.

He took a running leap across the floor and threw open the door of the nearest refrigerator. The head cook glared at him and let out an annoyed sigh.

"Maka grab one of those cutting boards and a couple of knives will you?" Kid asked, shoving his head into the fridge. He grabbed some leftover cooked vegetable medley, a couple of apples, a baguette and a large block of gruyere and piled them on the cutting board in Maka's arms.

To Maka's surprise Kid added chocolate, some sort of fruit salad, cookies and marshmallows to the pile as well.

"I thought we were getting a snack Kid! What the heck are we going to do with all this stuff? Do you want me to cook it for you?" Something in Maka's voice told Kid she would eagerly cook in this kitchen.

"No I've got an idea. It's a surprise," he said with a grin. Kid stretched up to the top of a cabinet and grabbed a dust covered box from one of the shelves. From another he pulled out a bottle that looked suspiciously like wine to Maka.

"What is that for?" Maka said wrinkling up her nose.

"As I said, it's a surprise." Kid said taking a few of the items Maka was struggling to carry and placing them on top of his box.

"I don't drink alcohol Kid-kun" Maka protested.

"It's not to drink." Kid reassured. "It's a _surprise_."

"You know, I could just make us a little snack." Maka said hopefully. Kid responded with a grin.

"Next time you can come to my house and you can cook and play with as many kitchen gizmos as you want; but today I would like to do something for you." Kid shifted the box and ingredients to one arm.

Maka opened her mouth to question some more but Kid pressed a finger to her lips. "You're going to ruin it Maka if you keep asking questions." Maka's looked back at the kitchen, defeated, and she reluctantly followed Kid out of the room.

"Maybe sometime we could come here, and you can cook till your heart's content." Kid offered. That brought a warm smile from Maka's lips all the way to her eyes.

"Do you think your Shinigami-sama would mind?" Maka questioned taking two steps to each of Kids one.

"No not a bit. After all the place is pretty quiet without me or mother here." Kid said nonchalantly.

"How come you never talk about your mother Kid-kun?" Maka asked cautiously.

"Because there's not much to talk about. One day she was just gone and we didn't hear from her. Then it was just me and father."

"I kind of understand how you feel. My Mom just announced she had to leave Death City, and I was to stay with Papa. Sure she sends me postcards but lately I feel like she abandoned me. She knows I can't talk to Papa and she just left me here alone. "A hint of teary anger filled Maka's face. She gripped the cutting board till her knuckles turned white. Kid feared that she might snap it in two. Luckily, they had reached his old room and he abandoned his box and the food on the thick shag rug. He took the cutting board and knife away from Maka and laid the remainder of the items on the bed.

"It's stupid right? I keep waiting for her to come home." Maka spat out angrily, clenching her fists because she didn't have the cutting board to dig her frustrations in to.

Kid reached for her elbows and forced her stiffing form to his chest as Maka's knees began to give. "It's not stupid, me and father keep waiting too, why do you think so much of my mother's stuff is still around here?"

He lowered Maka down to the carpet and cradled her in his arms. Kid could feel tears seeping into his shirt and he just leaned back as she groped to put her head into his collar.

"But these kinds of things don't seem to have any effect on you. You're not blubbering like a baby like I am." Maka said pushing down her emotions.

"Your Father and Mother have been split up for less than a year, correct? My mother has been gone for seven. I've just had more time to deal with it, and I know this sounds awful but eventually you will adjust to it just being the two of you. And worse come to worse Maka you don't have to worry about being alone, you have me and Soul, and Tsubaki, and Dark Star, Patty, Elizabeth and even Crona.

"I don't think Soul would let me whimper like a baby on his shoulder like this." Maka said regaining the rest of her composure.

Kid thought otherwise but he didn't voice this thought to Maka. "Well than Soul's is an imbecile. Maka, I want you to come to me whenever you're like this. Honest to god it makes me feel better hearing all these things from you. I don't want you to bottle it up like I did. Like I do still."

Maka look Death the Kid strait in the eye before she spoke. "Do you want to talk about your mother with me?" Maka asked sympathetically.

"As I said before there is not much to tell. I don't remember her well; what memories I do have are kind of few and things I am reluctant to talk about. But tonight I'm going to share one of these memories with you and only you."

Kid removed the food and utensils from the top of his dusty box and lifted out a pumpkin casserole dish. Maka looked at it quizzically as he began pulling out the other pieces. There was a small burner that looked like one of Dr. Stein's Bunsen burner and about six long skewers that were tipped like a fork.

"Oh wow it's a fondue set." Maka said smiling and picking up the weird pumpkin shaped pot.

"The pot was my mother's." Kid said, a hint of pride in his voice, "We use to have fondue parties when Father was busy with work. It's funny – I can barely remember what she looks like but I remember this as clearly as if it were just yesterday. If you want to help, you can start chopping apples up." Kid said gestured to the knife as he placed the fondue pot on top of its burner.

With a snap of his fingers the burner blazed to life. He looked around the room for the bottle of wine and realized he had forgotten the bottle opener. "Damn it I forgot the cork screw." he cursed.

"Here give it to me." Maka said reaching for the bottle. She took the paring knife she was slicing the apples with and jammed it into the cork of the bottle. With a firm tug the bottle gave its cork away, and the wine foamed up to the mouth of the bottle. "I told you before though that I don't drink. My dad does enough of that for the both of us."

"It's for the cheese." Kid said splashing the wine into the pot and dropping crumbles of cheese into it. It doesn't melt right without the wine, and wine cooks out so you won't even taste it.

"Probably has something to do with the acid in the wine that allows the cheese to melt without getting oily. You know you can do the same thing if you make rue first and use milk." Maka lectured.

"Know it all." Kid teased, wondering what a "rue' was.

Maka picked up the baguette and clocked Kid over the head with it playfully.

"Hey, hey, that's for eating! It's not a weapon. "Kid laughed, "If you hand me the cutting board I'll start slicing it."

"Can you cut it up and it not take all night?" Maka taunted.

"Of course I can." Kid proclaimed taking the knife and a cutting board from Maka and began to push the knife through the bread, in nice equal portions."Maka watched with an unsatisfied look on her face.

"You're doing that wrong," she finally burst out. She got up off the floor and kneeled next to him. "Technically we should be using a knife with a serrated edge not a chef's knife Kid-kun. Do me a favor and lean up for a second."

Kid rose up on his knees. She made her way behind his back and reached her arms around him. She was practically hugging him now and he could feel her breast press against his back. He suddenly became very aware of every place she touched him. The thought of forgoing food and kissing Maka invaded his thoughts and wouldn't go away.

Maka didn't seem to notice the fact that Kid's whole body had tightened as she pressed her body against his back. Kid's palms broke out in a sweat. Maka lifted the knife with her right hand and dangled it in between her fingers.

"You need to hold the knife between your thumb and pointer let the base rest in the palm of your hand. She said taking his hand in hers and positioning his figures correctly over the blade.

"You also should keep the tip of the knife pointed down and always use a rocking motion on the board." she lectured covering his hand with hers to show him the proper way to slice through the baguette. Kid took a quick breath in as Maka showed him how to push the baguette into the knife without having his fingers outstretched.

"Maka," Kid rasped out, letting go of the knife. Maka sensed something had changed she began to move away.

"Something wrong Kid-kun?" she asked.

"Maka," Kid breathed again, unable to find the words he wanted. Usually when he thought something was beautiful he just could blurt it out, but not to Maka. Maka wasn't just beautiful she was a step above symmetrical as far as Kid was concerned. Maka was an ideal woman, and she was out of his league. Kid tried to just blurt all those feeling out, but without a good push from Patty and Liz it was almost impossible. He was staring at Maka, and it made her feel self-conscious. She worried that she had made Kid uncomfortable.

"You know I think we're about ready," she said opening a container of leftover steamed vegetables and sitting them near the pot. She concentrated on moving the bread around on the cutting board and organizing the apples in a pretty fan shape.

Kid took both the bread and apples away from her abruptly and began fixing them himself. Maka picked up a skewer and stabbed at a piece of cold broccoli from the vegetable medley.

"Maybe I should go heat these up?" She asked, trying to break the awkward mood.

"I don't think that's necessary. The cheese will warm them if you dip them in them long enough." Kid said, recovering himself. His soul reached out to Maka's and he could feel her discomfort, which wasn't what he wanted right now. Kid placed an apple on his skewer and dunked it into the cheese bath.

"I think we will be fine." He said, twirling the apple in the cheese. He brought the apple up to his lips and smiled at Maka before biting into the slice of apple. Maka dunked her piece of cold broccoli into the cheese. She twirled it around and let it drip over the pot fearing an outburst from Kid if she accidently dripped cheese on the floor. She watched as Kid reloaded his skewer with a chunk of French bread. Maka brought the broccoli up to her mouth, and bit in. Kid was right; the vegetables did warm inside the layer of molten cheese that incased it.

"Not too hot is it?" Kid asked. _This is perfect_ he thought, _a romantic dinner with Maka_. He didn't care if he ever went downstairs now; his father could talk to Spirit all damn night. He felt rather wolfish as he watched Maka fan off an apple she had left to long in the cheese.

"Here, try this." Kid offered, moving his skewer to Maka's lips. He'd put a small piece of carrot along with an apple on it, and he was delighted as she opened her mouth and bit them off. Kid's confidence soared again. "After this we can have chocolate fondue for dessert."

Maka wrinkled her nose," I'm not sure chocolate would taste good on apples and carrots Kid-kun. I'm actually kind of amazed cheese taste okay on them. "

"Actually, I brought the cookies and fruit and marshmallows for the chocolate fondue. Haven't you had fondue before?" Kid asked lazily, rolling onto his stomach and twirling his vegetables in the cheese. He nibbled a piece of cauliflower and watched Maka try different combinations of apple, bread and vegetables together.

"No I haven't. I've heard of it, but I've never had one. The cheese is basically the same as it macaroni and cheese sauce, but instead of cheddar you used some type of Swiss right?" she asked, happily experimenting with yet another concoction.

"This is really fun," she announced after she finished her bite of food."She loaded up another skewer and held it out to Kid. "Here, try this combination". Kid shivered as Maka slipped the skewer into his mouth.

"I'm having fun too. You ready for dessert?" he asked, trying to regain control of himself…

"Sure" Maka used a piece of bread to wipe up the last bit of cheese in the fondue pot.

Kid picked up the pot and carried it to his bathroom. "Let me wash this out before we start the chocolate."

He watched as Maka began cleaning up the rest of their meal. The purple light of the Never-After gave her face a ghostly beauty.

"Beautiful," Kid murmured. The hem of her skirt was perfectly parallel with the floor and Kid was mesmerized. The symmetry of the pleats when she was kneeling made it hard for him to take his eyes away from her legs. His heart was drumming so loudly that he worried she could hear it.

"Do I have broccoli in my teeth or something?" Maka asked, noticing him stare.

"Uh no," Kid said, fleeing to the bathroom with the fondue pot. He closed the door behind him, nearly slamming it, and gripped the pot to his chest.

_She caught me staring at her_ Kid agonized as he flung the pot under the water. _I feel like I can't breathe_. He flung open the bathroom window, and was greeted by the howl of ghosts.

_Oh right. Forgot I'm in the nether world. No breeze here unless daddy commands it_. He shut the window and began pacing the bathroom floor. The fondue pot sat in the sink overflowing with water from the tap.

_She let me feed her. And she did it back to me! _Kid stared at his reflection and noticed how red he was.

_Get a grip, Kid_ he admonished himself. _You're going to go serve dessert and stop acting like an idiot_. But his mind wandered back to Maka's smile and the perfect pleats of her skirt. Absolutely perfect. Everything was absolutely perfect. Until the sink overflowed.

"Oh shit!" Kid yelled as he began grabbing towels and blotting ups the water on the floor. He reached up and turned off the sink but the water poured down over his head as reached for the fondue pot.

"No No N0! This is not happening. Everything was going so good, not now!" he moaned, trying to clean up the pot, the floor and himself all at the same time.

Maka knocked at the door. "Kid are you okay in there? What's going on?"

Kid frantically finished washing the pot and started folding up the towels into tight squares with ninety degree angles. He pulled a protractor out of a drawer and saw the first towel was exactly right. The second towel, on the other hand, was off by twenty five degrees.

He unfolded the towel and tried again. This time it was off by five degrees. He refolded it and was off by thirteen degrees.

"Kid?" Maka hammered at the door again, "That's it, I'm coming in there!"

Kid ran to lock the door, slipped on the wet floor and fell hard on his back.

Maka stepped in to find Kid lying in a puddle of water.

"Please don't look," he cried. "It's disgraceful, please don't look." His OCD was roaring, and hysteria overtook him.

Maka silently grabbed two fresh towels from the bath cabinet and knelt down on the floor.

"No! You'll get all wet." Kid wailed. She knelt next to his face and he watched as once again the pleats on her skirt evened themselves out, running perfectly parallel with the floor.

"It's okay Kid." Maka said as if she were comforting a small child. She took one of the fresh towels and draped it over his head, "Did you hurt yourself?"

Kid wished he could say yes so he could appear to be less of an embarrassment, but it would be a lie if did.

"No I'm fine." He was grateful that the towel was covering his face.

"That's good." She said as she began drying his hair. Her tone was motherly and soothing.

Kid continued to look down at the floor embarrassed, stunned and mortified. The towel continued to block most of his view, so he concentrated on Maka. Maka's hands were touching him, they were warm and gentle. She finished with his hair but didn't attempt to remove the towel. All Kid could see was her waist and knees. He began tracing the line of her perfectly straight waistband with his eyes, and sighed with relief.

"You still with me?" Maka asked softly, lifting the towel from his face.

"I'm a mess." he whimpered, and started to remove the skull from his collar.

"Let me." Maka said unhooking the skull.

Kid took in the room. There were towels all over the floor and he sat amongst them.

"I'm sorry for ruining it Maka." he muttered dejectedly, feeling another fit coming on.

"You didn't ruin anything Kid-kun. It's just a little water," she said, straddling his legs.

Kid's entire body was frozen in terror. His eyes darted down to her hands. What was she doing?

Maka nimbly removed the skull from his neck and started on the first button of Kid's shirt. The wet fabric made it hard, and she pulled at it, drawing Kid closer. She had seen Patty and Liz snap Kid out of these hysteric moments before, but for the life of her, Maka couldn't remember what they did on those occasions. She just concentrated on removing the mess, which meant all the water needed to disappear.

Kid stared as Maka began struggling to undo the second button on his shirt. His face was inches from hers, and he knew he must be blushing like an idiot. What the hell was he suppose to do in this situation. Should he help her? Should he sit there and let Maka strip him? Should he kiss her?

"Do you have any clothes here?" Maka asked, wrestling the third button.

Kid awoke from his stupor and began helping Maka pull his shirt off. She was scared, he could smell it on her, and a dark part of him got excited by her trembling. Kid crushed the feeling down, lifted Maka off his lap and got to his feet. It took every ounce of willpower he had to act normal.

"I should have some old stuff here." But you have to promise not to laugh. Some of this stuff hasn't been in style for a very long time."

"I don't make fun of people over stupid things like their clothes." Maka reassured him. She had regained some of her composure now that she wasn't sitting on top of him.

"I'm going to start the chocolate fondue." she said, getting up from the bathroom floor.

Kid looked down the towels crumbled in heaps on the floor and his eyebrow twitched. Maka saw him staring and shoved all of them in the dirty clothes hamper along with Kid's wet shirt.

"Problem solved" she said coolly and she picked up the fondue pot and toted it into the room on her hip. Maka chopped up chocolate and slid it into the pot while Kid looked for a new shirt. He settled on an old white poet's blouse which he thought was absolutely horrible, but it was dry. Kid caught Maka glancing at him as he put on his shirt, tucked it in and fastened the skull around his collar.

"Great, I look like a pirate!" Kid complained at his reflection in the mirror.

"I think you look nice."

Re-dressed and feeling much calmer, Kid took a seat next to Maka. "I'm really sorry again for spoiling the evening," he said, opening a container of strawberries and cherries.

The chocolate was melted and Maka stirred it with one of the skewers, "I don't think you ruined anything Kid-kun. Sometimes I don't understand you but this is much more fun than spending an evening with my Papa."

"What is it about me that you don't understand?" Kid said hoping she wouldn't say it was his all over failure to perform like a normal human being.

"Well, do you not like to be touched?" Maka asked.

"What! Where did you get that idea from?" Kids shrieked. Hadn't she noticed that he'd been trying to touch her all night?

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, you don't have to get defensive." Maka said stiffly.

"No, I like being touched." He said, nearly dropping a whole box of graham crackers into the chocolate fondue. Maka fished them out and stacked them aside on a nearby saucer. She made enough room in the fondue to dunk a cherry in and brought it up to her lips. Kid was staring at her and Maka felt like he was trying to look straight through her. Kid scooted closer to her and Maka couldn't meet his amber eyes.

_Is he trying to prove something to me?_ Maka thought to herself.

Kid was still baffled as to why she had drawn such a conclusion. Was it because he pulled away from her in the bathroom? That must be it. Or maybe he was sending mixed body signals. Well that was going to stop right now. After all, he might never have this chance again.

"I want you to understand something Maka...I really like spending time alone with you like this; I just wanted things to be perfect. It's not like you and I have opportunities like this to talk and be alone. "

Kid was so close to Maka's face that he could smell the chocolate on her breath, and on closer inspection he noticed there was slight smudge of chocolate on her lower lip. Kid closed the gap between them, and ran his tongue over her lips. He entwined both of Maka's hands with his and kissed her. A range of sensations filled him: the taste and smell of chocolate and cherries was predominating but he could feel the quivering of her body against his, and the softness of her lips and skin against his fingertips. He could feel the static of her soul and the thudding explosion of her heart. Her hair moved against his face and he could smell the soap she used. Even the friction of their clothing could be heard as he pressed his body against hers. Death the Kid was in pure bliss and the sensory overload set little charges of energy up and down his spine.

But she wasn't kissing him back. Kid finally tore himself away and looked at Maka, who didn't move. After what seemed like an eternity she took a breath.

"You…you just kissed me." Maka gasped.

"I'm sorry if I upset you." Kid offered, but he wasn't sorry one bit. He just couldn't have let that opportunity go to waste. He flung himself down to the floor, completely frustrated. Had the kiss been that bad?

Without warning, Maka grabbed a book from a nearby shelf and brought it down toward his head. Kid had supposed he should have expected it. He flinched and closed his eyes, waiting for the blow. When it didn't come, he opened his eyes a crack and looked up. The minute he did, she smacked him on the forehead with the book. Kid felt the world wobble for a second and realized what Soul had been complaining about all these years.

Maka squatted over his fallen body and pulled his face up to hers. "Next time you're going to do that, you need to give me some kind of warning. I had no idea you were going to…" Maka's face flushed and she turned away, letting his head fall back to the floor. "I mean I had no idea you even wanted to, Kid-kun."

She had used the words 'next time'. Kid's mind began to race at the possibilities. He chose his words carefully before he spoke.

"Will there be a next time?" he asked, looking up at her hopefully.

"Maybe. I've just never been kissed before and you caught me by surprise. I didn't know you thought of me that way. After all you have Patty and Liz." Maka's face clouded over and she got up on all fours so she could stare at his face.

"You did mean it, right?"

"Of course I meant it." Kid retorted, "Do you think I run around kissing people that I don't want?"

Maka scanned the room, embarrassed. "It's just…. it was my first kiss. I know it's stupid but I wanted it be special. It was so fast I didn't even have a chance to respond. I think I went catatonic when you licked my lips

"Would you like me to kiss you again so you have a chance to respond? We could consider that your first kiss instead of the one I just stole." Kid asked timidly.

"You know, I think I would", Maka said, sitting cross-legged on the rug and trying not to look him in the eye.

Kid sat up and turned her chin toward his, "You're not going to hit me with that book again, are you?"

Maka's face deepened from pink to red and she nodded. Kid tilted his head toward hers and let Maka close the distance between them. Her lips were unsure, and faltered against his. Kid moved his hand to the back of Maka's head and pulled her in more tightly. He began to kiss her back and let all those strange sensations fill him again. This time when he reached out to Maka's soul an inferno of fire welled up around him. He could feel Maka's thoughts in the back of his mind. She was wondering if she was kissing him correctly, wondering if Kid wanted her to stop, wondering if she had hit him too hard with the book. Kid tried to silence those thoughts by hugging her tighter and deepening the kiss. He pulled her too far forward and she lost her balance, landing on her back with Kid on top of her.

A rap at the door startled them and Kid quickly rolled off of Maka, who leapt to the other side of the room. Spirit came walking in like he owned the place.

"Dinner's ready," he announced, examining the contents of the floor and Kid laying down on it.

"Did you two already eat?" he questioned, looking Kid over suspiciously. Spirit's keen fatherly senses told him he had just walked in on something but he couldn't decide what.

"We had a snack" Kid said raising himself off the floor. A smug grin played across his face as he looked Spirit in the eye.

"Well I hope you didn't spoil your dinner young lady." Spirit said, taking in Maka's flustered demeanor.

"I'm sure Maka saved a little room for dinner." Kid said straightening his skull tie and picking things up off the floor.

"Have you had fun spending time with Death the Kid, Maka honey?" Spirit cooed. Maka's face flushed cherry red and Spirit concluded that he had indeed interrupted something and considering that Kid was lying on the floor when he came in, God only knows what.

"It wasn't a _play date_, Papa!" Maka growled.

"Come Maka, I will escort you to dinner." Kid commented coolly, offering Maka his arm.

Spirit followed reluctantly and didn't say another thing, but he glared across the table all during dinner. Kid just smiled back smugly.

After dinner, Maka left with a casual goodbye. Kid was a little disappointed that he didn't get a goodnight kiss, but with Spirit watching them like a hawk, Kid understood why. He was content for the time being. Not only did he get to share his first kiss with Maka and he was fairly certain that she'd let him kiss her again. Things were definitely looking up.

Maka finally ditched her papa and happily entered the confines of her own apartment. She kicked off her shoes and leaned against the door frame trying to block the world from coming in.

Soul had waited up and was sitting on the couch. "That bad huh?" He asked, flicking off the TV.

"Except from my father I had a really good time," Maka said girlishly.

"How did you pull that off?" Soul inquired.

"Kid was there," Maka smiled and raised a hand to her cheek, blushing.

"You had a good time thanks to Mr. Neurotic?" Soul snorted.

"Yeah," Maka said dreamily ", and you shouldn't go around judging people. Kid's lots of fun." She floated off to her bedroom and closed the door.

"What was all that about? Since when was Kid such a good time and why is she blushing like…oh hell no! He wouldn't….she couldn't….I'll kill him!" Soul said viciously to himself, and rammed his fist into the doorframe.

Maka rushed back out of her room, "What was that?"

"Just a bug that needs squashin' "Soul said darkly, "Go back to bed Maka, I want breakfast in the morning."

Soul looked at the dent he'd made in the door frame. "Any other insect that comes looking for Maka is gonna get the same."


	2. Chapter 2

Soul Eater Forever in the Never After

Chapter 2

Soul looked at his watch. It was five am, time to get up. He dragged himself out of bed and began looking for clean clothes in the piles littered about the floor. He pulled on his cross trainers and slipped on a pair of running shorts. He crawled around on the floor picking up stray socks till he found two that matched. He sniffed them cautiously. The socks hadn't reached the point where they smelled like really expensive cheese or rotten eggs.

"Still at that moldy corn chip level." He said, and looked at the pile of clothes.

"Wonder if I can sneak a few pieces of my laundry in with Maka's?" he said to Blair who was currently in cat form and still sleeping in her basket. The cat rolled over on its back still slumbering and exposed its belly before returning to a deep sleep.

Flipping a T-shirt over his head and grabbing his mp3 player he set out of the house at a slow jog.

"I'll wake Maka up in an hour so she can make breakfast." Soul thought to himself and began concentrating on his stride. He found his rhythm and began to sprint his shoes barely making noise as he hit the pavement.

"I still wonder what the hell happened last night between Maka and Kid. Maka came back with that stupid grin on her face. That idiot better not have tried anything, or Prince Useless is getting hammered today at school." Soul thought, agitated. He increased his speed; his shoes were now slapping the pavement and he was starting to feel the heat in his muscles.

"Surprised I haven't seen Black Star yet." Soul thought, turning another empty street corner.

As if summoned by the mere thought of his name, Soul heard a loud "yahoo!" and looked over to see Black Star racing along the top of a fence as if it were a really long balance beam. He did an agile back flip and landed beside Soul without missing a beat.

"Morning Soul." Black Star chirped, "You need to pick up your pace if you're going to keep up with a track star like me."

Soul's feet began to pound harder as he struggled to keep up with Black Star, who was irritatingly running backward down the street watching Soul puff and wheeze.

"You sick or something?" Black Star called as he sprinted even further ahead of Soul.

Was he sick? Soul thought about it for a minute. The pit of his stomach sure was doing something awful and he normally could at least make an attempt to try to keep up with Black Star.

"Shit dude what happened to your hand?" Black Star asked falling into step beside him.

"I got pissed and punched the door frame last night." Soul said.

"What over? You and Maka get into it?" Black Star laughed, poking at the tape that Soul had wrapped his hand.

"I think something happened between Maka and Death the Kid last night." Soul said finding his stride again.

Black Star gaped at him, not watching where he was going, and took a street lamp right in the face. His body wrapped around it like a kola and Black Star slid down to the pavement, twitching.

"What the #$%^ did you say?" Black Star yelled loud enough to wake up the whole town.

"Chill idiot, you're going to wake up the neighborhood." Soul pleaded trying to get Black Star's temper under control.

"What makes you think Maka would have anything to with Death the Kid" Black Star complained with quiet anger.

"Something she said last night, and the way she said it." Soul said in a wheeze.

"It's not like he has any star potential, he's just some ass that thinks he's cooler than everyone. Hell Patty and Liz give him all his real strength. Without them he'd be crying in the corner all the time like that pansy Crona." Black Star criticized.

"He kicked your ass twice didn't he?" Soul taunted.

"Yeah, but I was having a bad day. Two bad days. Dude has no sense of style at all. You don't kick a man when he's down!" Black Star yelled defensively. "Besides, he kicked your ass too."

This brought Soul to a stop. He felt like his lungs were going to burst. "So un-cool." he gasped. He was drowning in perspiration. "Why would he hit on Maka? Isn't it enough that he has Patty and Liz?"

"I know, right? Guy thinks since he's a god he can have anything he wants!" Black Star hollered, driving his fist into the lamp post and snapping it in two.

"Shit!" Soul said, admiring Black Star's work. The pole was split as cleanly as if someone had sawed it in half.

"He just makes me so angry" Black Star squabbled, kicking the broken lap post over and over again. "There's just no way Maka would have anything to do with him, just no way. Maka is too smart to be impressed by a rich idiot like that."

Soul watched as Black Star started to de-fuse. The lamp post looked more and more like a piece of used chewing gum.

"Yeah, you got to be wrong. I'm not saying the guy wouldn't try, Soul, but I trust Maka. We'll get Tsubaki to pry it out of Maka. I'm sure we…I mean you…don't have worry at all." Black Star rambled.

"Anyone ever tell you that you don't need to take on other people problems?" Soul asked, rather astounded by Black Star's violent reaction. There was one unbroken pane of glass in the lamp post. Soul finished the job with a quick kick, and felt a little bit better.

"Yeah, all the time. But that's just the kind of star I am, I'm a good friend." Black Star said, messing around with the back of his hair. "It was some big misunderstanding. Hell if you want I'll ask Maka myself."

"No don't ask Maka. She'll know I was the one that told you. " Soul decided he'd learned two things that morning. One: vandalism felt good, he could see why Black Star did it so often. Two: he wasn't entirely sure he wanted Black Star's help. It seemed to Soul Black Star was trying to be a little too helpful. He was so pissed off that it was creepy.

"Come on Soul, I'll ask Maka. I'm not afraid of her. Better yet, the two of us could just beat the shit out of Mr. Fancy Pants." Doesn't matter if he did anything or not. I've been itching to give him a beating anyway."

Soul laughed. Maybe Black Star just wanted the excuse for another re-match with Kid. Maybe Black Star was just what he said, a really good friend.

"Come on; let's go dangle our dirty socks under Maka nose to wake her up." Black Star suggested, running toward Soul's apartment.

"Mine aren't strong enough yet we may have to just use yours." Soul said happy with the change of subject.

"Whose turn is it to cook breakfast? Yours or hers?" Black Star yelled, moving down the street so quickly that it looked like he was teleporting away from Soul.

"Hers, it was my turn yesterday." Soul called.

"Good thing I skipped mooching yesterday. I hate burnt eggs and burnt toast." Black Star ribbed.

"You would have gone totally hungry yesterday cause I didn't cook." Soul said sarcastically.

"Oh, poor Maka didn't get any breakfast yesterday. No wonder she was in such a foul mood."

"No she was in a bad mood, because she had to go to dinner with her creepy old man last night." Soul corrected,

"I'd be pissed off too, if that man was my father. He spends more time in the host clubs than he does working." Black Star said pushing his way into the apartment Soul and Maka shared. He began hopping up and down taking off his shoes and socks.

"Oh Maka honey you're going to love this. I've been working on these socks for you for two weeks." Black Star cackled evilly.

Soul smiled. This was going to be a great day: Maka was cooking, and he adored watching her knock the shit out of Black Star. It was a real hoot to watch her chase the ninja around. Maka would completely forget about anything she needed to clobber Soul for and just let out all that tension on Black Star. Black Star crept into Maka's room, repeating his mantra of ninja rules. He laid one of the socks gently over Maka's nose. Soul watch Maka wince in her sleep, then she began coughing and sat right up off the bed.

"Oh my god what is that smell?" She gagged and noticed the dirty sock that had slid into her lap. Maka's eyes went wide as she flung the sock across the room.

"I call it the smell of morning!" Black Star said dangling his other sock in front of her face.

Maka shrieked and kicked Black Star away from her. "Ugh, it smells like dead fish and rotten eggs." Her eyes were watering, and she couldn't make up her mind to be afraid or angry.

"I think we should call it Mustard Gas! Holy shit Black Star those reek, I can smell them from here. " Soul cried, holding his nose.

"But I prepared them especially for you, Maka dear!" I ran in them every day this week. I wore them in the lake when I went fishing and I even dried them over the trash can!" Black Star sang seductively.

"The smell," Maka choked, "Why the hell did you let him bring those things in here Soul? Do you know how much negative chi those sock probably carry? It's like wearing your shoes in the house – you just invited disaster in the door."

"Quit being a drama queen, I don't believe in all that feng shui bull shit." Soul griped, lifting his foot to show Maka that he was wearing his running shoes inside the house.

Black Star was laughing too hard and he buckled over.

"GET OUT!" Maka screamed and launched her body forward into a throw. She grabbed Black star by the shoulders, planted her left foot to his chest and sent him flying into Soul. Both the boys left the room laughing hysterically.

"I swear that never gets old." Black Star said still doubled over laughing.

"She didn't hurt you did she?" Soul asked, feeling a little guilty that Maka had used a Judo throw on Black Star this early in the morning.

"Nah she couldn't hurt a fly." Black Star said, laying his shoes outside the door. "You better get those shoes off or we might not get breakfast." He said pointing at Soul's feet.

"I don't see why. I don't believe in that superstitious crap." Soul snorted.

"It's more than that! It's considered rude in most cultures and it brings dirt and bacteria from outside into the house. Plus it's disrespecting the home she's created and girls are picky about that shit." Black Star replied, surprisingly astute

"Who are you and what did you do to Black Star," Soul yelped, looking at Black Star as if he were a pod person.

"Tsubaki told me. I like to make fun of Maka but I don't want to disrespect her." Black Star said quietly. At that moment Maka came storming out of her bed room with his socks in hand. She went tossed them into the washing machine, stuffed some other laundry in with them and poured in extra detergent.

After shutting the lid she got in Black Stars face. "Are there any more?" She asked, giving him a piercing gaze.

"No… not with me." Black Star stammered

"How much more?" Maka demanded, turning her back to Black Star and heading over to the kitchen.

"About two weeks worth if you just count mine. Plus all Tsubaki' stuff."

"Why are Tsubaki's clothes dirty? She's good about the laundry." Maka pulled eggs, leeks and a bell pepper from the refrigerator.

Black Star turned red with embarrassment, "The Laundromat guy sort of told us not to come back. Tsubaki has been trying to do stuff by hand."

"Do I want to know why you got banned from the laundry mat?" Maka was exasperated.

"Probably not." Black Star gulped.

Soul concluded that Black Star looked like a fish out of water.

"Tell Tsubaki she can use our washer and dryer and to quit trying to hand wash things." Maka smiled at Black Star. "You on the other hand, are not to touch my washer and dryer without supervision. I'll show you how to use it."

Black Star looked as if someone had thrown him a life raft. "Thank you Maka, I'll pay attention real good, and I promise I'll learn this time. Tsubaki is acting like she's going to kill me. I'm really thankful, honest."

"You'd better learn!" Maka scolded.

"Yes Maka, I'm sure if Tsubaki is here and you're here teaching me I'll get it." Black Star promised.

"Tsubaki didn't mention to me you were banned from the Laundromat."

"That's because I embarrassed her and she's mad at me. She will be happy that she doesn't have to use the wash board in the bath tub anymore," Black Star said happily, "Hey! Maybe if you show me how to use the washing machine I could do Tsubaki's things for her. Sort of like a peace offering."

"She was using a wash board?" Soul piped up, "Who the hell uses a wash board? Who even _owns_ a washboard?" Soul began to laugh. "Maka if you're doing people's laundry for them I got stuff I need done too."

Maka stared at Soul with anger in her eyes, "Do it yourself, you lazy bum, the washing machine is right in there."

"I don't get it. You're doing Black Star's laundry." Soul whined "What a few more things?"

"I'm going to show Black Star how to do his own laundry; you already know how to use the washing machine you lazy jerk." Maka yelled at Soul, slapping an omelet down in front of him.

"Black Star, if you bring me everything after school we'll get it done, okay?" Maka passed another omelet to Black Star.

"Thanks Maka," Black Star smiled brightly. "You'll never be a big guy like me, but you're still a star in my book."

"If I didn't know better I'd say that was a compliment."

Black Star dug into his omelet. "You're already the best cook I know besides Tsubaki and you're excellent at housework," he said between bites. "You're going to make someone a good wife one day?"

Maka frowned for a minute. " I think it takes more than domestic stuff to make someone a good wife". She sounded dangerous.

Soul looked at Black Star in astonishment. Black Star was the most immature guy he knew. Today of all days did he have to babble about marriage to Maka? Whose side was that traitor on anyway?

"I was just saying…I don't think you're going to have any problems finding a husband. I wasn't trying to put you down." Black Star stuttered back.

"Dude, you are digging your own grave Black Star, Maka isn't interested in become some guy's wife. Miss Independent over here is the career girl type that works her whole life and ends up with a house full of cats." Soul's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Besides who the hell could stand being married to Maka? She's hot tempered, whiney, and is completely boring. All she ever does is read books and study all the time. Plus, no boobs at all." Soul added, driving the knife home. He waited for Maka to cave his skull in with a book, but the blow never came. Hadn't she heard him? Hadn't he got her attention away from Black Star and marriage?

Soul looked up. Maka's face was white, no, it was almost green. She calmly dumped her half-eaten omelet into Blair's bowl and left the room.

Black Star let out a loud whistle "Holy shit, you shouldn't have said that! You went way too far, man."

"What are you talking about?" Soul said coolly, "I joke with Maka like this all the time. I always tell her she's going to end up a crazy old cat lady. She knows I'm ribbing her."

"Go apologize" Black Star growled, slamming his hands on the table and making the juice glasses vibrate. "Go apologize right now!"

"She's fine." Soul said again.

"God damn it." Black Star got up and head butted Soul. "You idiot! She doesn't think it's funny. You don't say stuff like that to girls! Especially not Maka. Get your ass in there and apologize." Black Star lifted Soul up by the back of the shorts and thrust him at Maka's door.

"I'm telling you she's fine, you're making a big deal out of nothing." Soul said, twisting the knob. It jerked out of his hand as Maka yanked the door open. She knocked Soul out of her way, shouldered her book bag and walked out of the apartment without a word.

Black Star poked Soul in the chest, "Oh yeah, she's totally completely fine!" .


	3. Chapter 3

Soul Eater Forever in the Never After Revised Jan 29 2011

Chapter 3: Home work, Girl Friends and Goats

"You were late last night", Liz said lazily. She stretched like a large cat at the breakfast table as Kid placed a plate of Belgian waffles down in front of her, "Was it another one of those dinners where your dad tries to keep you forever?"

"Sort of," Death the Kid replied nervously, "But for once I was thankful it was."

"Huh?" Patty asked through a mouthful of waffle. She stared at Kid critically while she chewed, "Something's different" she sang, swallowing.

" Yeah Kiddo-kun, you hate it when time drags on in the netherworld!" now Liz was scrutinizing him too, "You're right Patty. Something is different." Both sisters got up and circled Kid, looking him up and down from top to bottom.

"I don't know what you mean." Kid chuckled nervously, "Here Patty, have another waffle. You like waffles! How about some extra syrup, and some whipped cream and—"

"He's hiding something" Patty said narrowing her eyes and slapping her fist into her palm, "Want me to beat it out of him, sis?"

Liz knew that her sister could always ferret out what others were trying to hide. She seemed like she lived in her own little fantasy world most of the time but Patty was naturally astute about people and could usually read them like books. A kind of social idiot savant.

"So what did you do all that time?" Liz asked slyly.

"Weren't you wearing another shirt when you left yesterday?" Patty asked staring at Kid intently as she inhaled her second plate of waffles.

"Ohhh! You came home in different clothes, did you?" Liz teased, arching an eyebrow.

Kid gulped and tried to think of some way to escape the Thompson sisters and their grilling. And when did Patty start playing with a full deck? Did he look different, had his demeanor changed since yesterday? Did he have a big sign around his neck saying 'I had my first kiss'?"

"Sign? What sign" Patty laughed like a rabid hyena, kicking her heels in the air.

_Okay, that's just creepy_, Kid thought to himself glowering to the floor. _What, she's reading minds now?_

Liz got up and put on her hat. "What so funny Patty?"

"Kiddo-kun is…" Patty abruptly was cut off what Kid leaned over and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Patty would you like me to buy you an ice cream after school?" he asked nervously.

"Yay!" Patty yelled and began jumping around the room singing, "ice cream, ice cream, ice cream!"

"It's going to take a lot more than ice cream to buy me off," Liz said darkly to Kid.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kid was all innocence.

"She'll tell me later, you know", crowed Liz.

"If she remembers the conversation later," Kid grinned smugly

"That sounds like a challenge! You can't hide crap from me, Death the Kid. Just who do you think you are? You're starting to keep secrets like Lord Death. But you're not in his league. I will not be thwarted!" Liz announced hitching herself up on the countertop and crossing her legs.

That did it, Kid was now officially pissed. "We're going to be late for school if we don't move it. Patty, get your things."

Liz clicked her tongue against the top of her mouth "So it's going to be that way, is it?" she said, loading her books into her arms, and slinking off the counter top. "You just wait Kid. No one can hide gossip from Elizabeth Thompson." Liz posed and motioned dramatically to drive her point in. "When I find out you're up to you're going to pay big time. Foot massages every day for a month!"

"Shut up and transform already so we can fly to school." Kid snapped.

Both of the Thompson sisters transformed and Kid leapt onto his skate board. He sped through the streets while Liz continued to list all the things he was going to have to do to keep her mouth shut once she discovered his secret. At school Kid hopped off the board and tossed the guns in the air to let the girls transform back.

"Liz, can you just let it go?" Kid croaked, exasperated. He pounded up the stairs looking for anything that would save him from her list of demands.

"I don't like you keeping secrets from us." Liz huffed when she caught up with him outside their classroom.

"Please I'm begging you, just let it go." Kid pleaded. He turned the corner only to be nailed in the shoulder by Soul, who was barreling down the hall with Black Star in tow. He didn't apologize but just made his way into the lecture hall. Black Star, on the other hand did stop.

"Have you seen Maka?" Black Star demanded ferociously, his eyes blazing.

"No I haven't seen her yet. Isn't she in the classroom?" Kid questioned, scrutinizing Black Star. Wasn't it a bit too early in the day for the ninja to be so fired up?

"Soul put his foot in his mouth this morning and is looking for her so he can apologize." Black Star said darkly.

Liz jumped up and down, "Gossip! Did I just hear some gossip?"

"Yeah, but you didn't hear it from me. Just keep an eye out for Maka." Black Star replied fiercely.

"Maka never misses class; surely she'll be in there." Kid said, wondering if Maka had said something to Soul about the kiss. What if she was trying to avoid him? He looked down at his shoes and tried to focus on them instead of his worries; instead he noticed a slight skew in the way the tile was laid. He closed his eyes and counted to five. _Why does the OCD have to get worse when I'm worried or nervous?_

"I can do this!" he announced to no one in particular and walked to class.

Liz rolled her eyes, "He is such a little weirdo today."

"And that's saying something, for him." Black Star mused as they went inside and found their seats.

"Wow, that's weird. Maka never misses class." Liz commented staring at Maka's empty seat. Kid stared as well, growing more and more uncomfortable.

"Books! Books! _Library_ books! You need a _library_ book!" Patty screeched abruptly into Kid's ear.

"Patty what did you do that for?" Liz yelled at her. Patty laughed like a loon.

"Thank you Patty." Death the Kid whispered, pushing his chair back.

Professor Sid walked through the door as the bell rang. "Kling, Klong, Klang, Klong! Class is now in session. Today we are going to…"

Kid had already risen from his seat and was moving out the door.

"Any particular reason you are leaving my class today Kid?" Sid called.

"I have a matter I must attend to." Kid fired off rudely. "Liz please make sure you collect any assignment I may miss today." He pushed the door open and left without another word. As the door closed he straightened the skull around his throat and headed down the hall. Out of habit he began counting the cinderblocks on the wall till he reached the library door. "Eight-six" he proclaimed out loud, and covered his mouth. There he went again.

"Please let her be here." he thought as he scanned the room. Maka was sitting at a table with a book opened in front of her. She was staring at it intently, but didn't turn any pages.

Kid began counting the floor tiles between himself and Maka. "One, two, three…"

Maka sensed that she wasn't alone and looked up to see who it was. "Kid-kun" she squeaked.

"…four, five, six" Kid's brain was going into overdrive. The library was so disorganized. He loved books but he hated coming in here; there was stuff everywhere. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Are…Are you avoiding me?" His voice sounded shaky and needy. Mentally he scolded himself for coming across like Crona.

Maka's eyebrows furrowed "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Whew." Kid stumbled toward Maka. He couldn't remember how many tiles there were now, and instead of starting to count again he just concentrated on moving forward.

"I got worried when I saw your seat was empty." Kid said, tumbling into a chair, "If you're not avoiding me, then why are you cutting class?"

"Because Soul is being an ass and I didn't want to sit next to him today." Maka answered sharply.

"Did you tell him I kissed you last night?" Kid figured if Soul knew then he would indeed be angry with Maka. Sadly Maka wouldn't understand why, and Death the Kid was not going to be the one to enlighten her.

"Should I have told him? I mean it's really none of his business right? Besides, what could I have told him? You kissed me - it's not like you asked me to be your girlfriend or anything. As far as I know last night might be a onetime event." Maka sounded confused and pissed off.

"I thought I was pretty clear last night. But just in case I wasn't: I want to be with you." Kid said nearly touching Maka's lips with his own. Maka shivered and it sent thrills up and down his spine. He focused on her eyes and felt the OCD attack recede.

"We're in school." Maka said nervously, her breath quickening in anticipation.

"I know. That's why I haven't kissed you yet." Kid grinned devilishly at her. Seeing the effect he had on her was nearly intoxicating. The fact that Maka wanted him, that she wanted him to kiss her and hold her and comfort her was perfection in Kid's mind. To feel that kind of need from someone was bliss.

"I've liked you since the moment I met you Maka. Of course I want you to be my girlfriend. W…will you?" he asked. Maka searched his anxious face for and then nodded shyly. They sat there for a moment, nose to nose and grinning like a pair of idiots.

Kid grasped Maka's hands and drew her to her feet. "Well it's obvious that neither of us wants to be in school today. Shall we just go and play hooky?"

"I can't," Maka said looking toward the door, "I feel guilty enough about missing Professor Sid's class to avoid Soul. I don't want to miss Dr. Steins too. Plus I promised that I would help Black Star do his laundry after school."

"You're doing Black Star's laundry?" Kid felt a weird pang of jealousy.

"He and Tsubaki got banned from the Laundromat after Black Star ruined a bunch of washers and dryers. "When the manager confronted him he got irate and knocked him out."

"Laundromat," Kid's body shuddered in disgust. "I hate Laundromats; sharing a washer with other people, possibly getting your clothes mixed up with someone else's. And don't even get me started about the dryers! They're never balanced, not to mention the way people throw those big clumps of lint on the floor. It's just revolting."

"When you put it that way, it does sound disgusting. I guess I can see why that would bother you Kid-kun. But we're not going to the Laundromat. I told Black Star he can come over to our apartment. I'll show him how to do it correctly and he promised he would do his best to pay attention and learn."

"I still don't see why Tsubaki can't teach him." Kid griped again.

"Well, for one she's already tried, and that's what got them banned from the laundromat. Second, Black Star wants to do Tsubaki's laundry as a peace offering since Tsubaki has been trying to keep their clothes clean by hand washing them on a wash board." Maka explained.

"Who owns a washboard? Doing Tsubaki's laundry is a sweet gesture. Did you come up with that or did Black Star?" Kid asked, picking up Maka's things.

"Black Star did. I know you probably don't see it but Black Star has moments when he is quite considerate." Maka said softly

"Well count me in. If you're going to teach Black Star how to do anything you're going to need all the help you can get. Between the two of us I'm sure we can teach him how to properly wash and dry clothes." Kid smiled happily.

"Thank you Kid-kun." Maka smiled graciously

_Good, she didn't care that I invited myself along._ _This way I can make sure Black Star isn't exploiting the situation_. Kid thought, feeling a wave of jealousy.

"By the way Maka, if you haven't told Soul anything yet then why are the two of you fighting?" Kid asked curiously.

"First he and Black Star woke me up by putting their dirty socks on my face again. Then Soul told Black Star that I'm going to be a crazy old cat lady that no one wants to marry because I'm a book worm and my temper is so bad." Maka said, annoyed all over again.

"Unforgiveable!" Kid exclaimed and bolted down the hallway dragging Maka behind. His eyes gleamed with unspent violence. He couldn't make up his mind what he was more pissed over, the socks or Soul's big mouth so he just combined the two into one big ball of rage. How dare anyone tell his Maka she was un-marriageable? How dare they put their personal items on his Maka, especially dirty ones! He'd have to figure out something nice to do for her to remove the trauma, maybe a spa day with her girl friends, or a trip to a hot springs or hacking off Soul's and Black Star's feet…Kid stopped, realizing that he'd missed something that she'd said.

"Wait, did you just tell me that they've done this sort of thing before?" Kid demanded, feeling his murderous intent growing.

"Yeah it's happened a couple times. Soul usually pulls pranks like this. He just likes getting a rise out of me." Maka looked at Kid warily. He was getting really upset over nothing.

"He's bullying you." Kid announced. He saw the look on Maka's face and choked down his anger.

"I wouldn't call it bullying, he just likes picking on me and sometimes he says stupid things like he did this morning." Maka said in a tired tone.

"Quit defending him Maka." Kid quietly scolded.

"Why are you getting all worked up?" Maka said touching his arm and Kid jumped a little.

"I knew the two of squabbled but I thought that was just because you lived together. I won't tolerate him bullying you though…dirty sock…disgusting."He griped. Death the Kid waited in the center of the hallway as the bell rang, releasing the first class. He watched as students began spilling out of the rooms, a black aura growing around him as he searched for his target. Tsubaki, Patty, Liz and Ox Ford left the room followed by Black Star and Soul.

"Kid-kun" Maka said worriedly, tugging on the reaper's robe that was forming around Kid, "Kid-kun!" she tried again to get his attention. She watched as Kid's amber eyes locked on Soul. "Kid-kun that's enough!" she said, raising a hand to rest on his cheek.

Kid felt her warm hand pressed against the side of his face and lightly nuzzled it with his cheek before looking down at Maka in surprise.

"There is no reason to fight over something so trivial," Maka placed her other hand on Kid's face and turned him to look at her. "You shouldn't fight over stupid things Kid-kun. You're above that. That's what I like about you; how understanding you are. Like that time Black Star picked a fight with you and you reminded him who he was."

Something in Kid's chest jumped. Maka's warm eyes were locked onto his and he felt like he was drowning in her green gaze. Their classmates were standing and watching or moving around them but no came close to the two of them.

"Let's go to class Kid-kun." Maka said lowering her hands from his face.

Ox Ford was the first to speak. "Who would have ever thought that Maka Albarn and Death the Kid would hook up?"

Jacqueline and Kim smacked Ox on the head at the same time.

"Quit spreading rumors, it's probably not what it seems, they're on the same team after all. And Kid looks like he's gonna start some trouble. Maka's just being a responsible team leader." Jackie said

Ox laughed, "You don't find it odd that Maka skips class and then Kid runs out of the room the minute he realizes she's not there? Gotta give Maka credit though; she goes for the most impossible guy with the most talent in the school. It's not like she's going to be able to hang on to him for long, though. I wonder what he sees in her?"

Black Star elbowed Ox in the kidney. "You make it sound like Maka's not good enough for that guy." He said. "You got it wrong though. That guy ain't good enough for Maka. She's much too big a star for him, but an idiot like you can't recognize talent when you see it. That's why this star is going to bust in that cue ball head of yours so you can't think up any more stupid shit." Black Star pulled Ox into a head lock and stared at him with dangerous eyes.

"I need a proctor to oversee a duel!" Black Star screeched down the hallway as he began dragging Ox Ford up to the roof."

Mira Nygus followed Black Star up the stairs. "Just what I need, another duel and more damn injuries to have to fix. I wish that Lord Death would outlaw these stupid things. All they do is tear up the school and make our medical deductable go up." She complained.

Soul stayed behind, staring into space. Why had Kid's Shinigami robes started to come out of that black shit his soul projected, and why did Maka have the power to make him retract it with a touch of her hand? There had to be something going on between the two of them. And Black Star was acting weirder than usual but he didn't even want to contemplate the ninja's role in the whole sorry mess.

Soul kicked a trash can and it nearly took off Kirikou Rung's head.

"Hey, watch it Soul!" Kirikou yelled, "What the hell did I do?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired of seeing your ugly face." Soul replied coolly.

"You trying to start something with me?" Kirikou snapped.

"You ain't worth my time pot punk" Soul smirked and walked away.

"What the hell's with him?" Kirikou askedTsubaki, "Did Soul, Black Star and Kid all lose their minds at once?"

"Our team is having problems today." Tsubaki said, embarrassed"

"If it means anything I don't think Soul meant to hit you. I think he was just kicked it in the wrong direction, and then he got embarrassed about it and tried to save face. " Liz added.

"Guess we should get to our next class." Tsubaki was eager to flee the scene.

"Yeah, we'd better. I want to know what was just happened between Kiddo-kun and Maka-chan. This day is just dripping with interesting gossip!" Liz laughed.

"Secret! Secret! Zoooooooom" Patty called and took off to the next class with her arms spread out the wings of a plane.

"Oooooo, that's right! Maybe this is the big secret Kid was trying to hide this morning." Liz guessed, slamming her fist into her hand.

"Secret?" Tsubaki asked. Why did everybody know what was going on but her?

"Yeah, Kid was acting weird this morning, well, weirder than normal and Patty figured out that Kid is hiding something from us."

"_Patty_ did?" Tsubaki questioned in the sweet but condescending tone she normally reserved for Black Star.

"We should go take Maka aside and pry all the juicy stuff from her. Between the two us we should be able to make her squeal!" Liz said, throwing an arm around Tsubaki in a show of camaraderie.

"I'm sure that Maka would tell us if she thought it was important." Tsubaki mumbled, wondering why she'd even bothered to come to school today. She should have just stayed home and worked on the pile of laundry that was taking over the house.

"It's all right Tsubaki. We'll get to the bottom of all this." Liz promised as she steered Tsubaki down the hall. When they walked into Professor Stein's class, it was immediately apparent that something was up. Kid was sitting in Soul's usual seat beside Maka and Soul was nowhere to be found. Black Star's seat was also empty. Patty was sitting on the other side of Maka, singing to herself and looking smug. Liz' keen ears picked up Kid's voice through the noise in the classroom.

"I just don't care for the way he treats you, Maka." Kid said softly.

"Soul is just Soul. I probably just over reacted. Jeez..let it go, will ya?" Maka told him, but she smiled and elbowed him gently to take the sting out of her words.

"I'll do whatever makes you happy." Kid fixed his eyes to Maka's and they shared a secretive little grin.

Liz walked up behind the two, play-smacked Kid in the back of the head. She hit him a bit too hard bought thought he deserved it. She grabbed a desk in the row behind him so she could rest her boots on the back of his chair and patted the seat next to her and gestured at Tsubaki to sit down.

The bell rang and Dr. Stein rolled into the room with his usual lack of coordination "I see both Black Star and Soul are skipping yet again", he commented, irritated

"I think I'll use them as lab rats next time we conduct an experiment ." he announced, pulling out a cigarette and twisted on his chair.

"It also appears that a few of you decided to assign yourselves to a new seating arrangement." Stein observed, giving the offending parties a creepy glare. Death the Kid glared back at him, but Stein just observed Kid's wavelength for a moment and then went about his business.

"Today we're going to talk about raising the dead and why the practice is considered a taboo art."

"Can't be that taboo considering you did it to Professor Sid," yelled Ragnarok. Crona immediately covered his mouth and apologized to Dr. Stein.

"Crona would you like me amputate that large growth you have on your back?" Steins eyes glittered with malice.

"No, Dr. Stein" Crona whimpered.

"It would be a great experiment. Probably quite painful, though, "Stein said gleefully, "Keep that mouthy tumor of yours under control, Crona. You are the master, not him."

"Yes Professor Stein." Crona looked faint.

"As I said, today we're going to talk about raising the dead. Now tell me, why is it something that we don't usually do?"

"That's easy. It's because reapers take the souls of the human dead and free them. You can't raise a body without a soul." Kid stated matter-of-factly.

"I was hoping that someone who isn't the personification of death would answer that question, Kid. Remind me again why your father lets you waste time at this school when you should be out there reaping souls?" Stein replied snarkily. "So tell me… Maka…If you have no soul is it possible to raise a body?"

"No," Maka said, "Because a sound soul must reside in a sound body and a sound mind. A body without a soul therefore cannot have a sound mind, so it cannot operate a sound body."

"Suck up!" Liz hissed.

"Tsubaki how does one raise the dead?" Stein questioned.

"Trick question." Death the Kid answered out of turn.

"I think it has something to do with blood and goats." Tsubaki stammered embarrassed.

"Blood and goats!" Liz laughed ,"How the heck can you raise the dead with a goat?"

"Strap it to the goats back." Patty guffawed and half the class burst out laughing. Even Kid cracked a smile.

"I can see someone didn't bother to read last night's homework." Stein bellowed, un-amused.

"So Tsubaki, you think you need blood and goats to raise the dead. Why do you think that?" Stein said turning his menacing glare on her.

"Because blood-sacrifices for atonement or "rebirth" are part of our collective unconscious. It's part of Islamic, Jewish and Christian teachings, among others. This is sometimes taken literally and forms the belief that the goat's blood can actually be exchanged for new life." Kid recited boredly, just for the sake of pissing Stein off.

"Well it just so happens I have a goat right here." Professor Stein said lifting a blanket from the cage beside his desk.

"Why don't you and… Crona… show the class how to raise the dead, Kid?"

"What?" Crona yelled hysterical.

"Oh, BOY!" screamed Ragnarok, rubbing his hands in glee.

Maka got out of her seat to calm Crona down, while Kid walked to the front of the class and covered the goat back up.

"As you said Dr Stein, raising the dead is considered a taboo art there for we cannot complete your experiment. It's mostly theoretical anyway. " Kid smiled back at Crona and began walking back to his seat.

"What other things can we use to raise the dead?" This time professor Stein called on Harvar.

"Well magic devices, like lazarus machines, and I think there is a form of witch craft that can summon the dead but they aren't alive or anything, like Maka said before. Because they don't have a soul."

"All good answers. At least one of you did the reading I assigned. You brought up a good point Harvar. Lazarus. Who can tell me what it is-other than Kid."

The class was silent.

"No one? So you know it exist and people make machines out of it but you don't know what it is?" Stein said looking at all the students faces.

"Kid, tell them what lazarus is." Stein said shaking his head.

"Lazarus is a greenish, lava-like substance that can be found under lay lines in pockets of the earth. It is toxic to breathe if you are alive but if you are dead and you inhale the fumes you can, in fact, return to the living if your soul hasn't been properly reaped."

A murmur could be heard through the class. Stein swiveled around in his chair like a maniac enjoying his students' shock.

"Since none of you really understand this topic, what Lazarus is or what it looks like I think we're going to take a little field trip next week.

"Wait didn't Kid-kun just say that lazarus stuff was poisonous to live people?" Kim asked, sounding a bit panicked.

"We'll take the proper precautions." Stein said. "Make sure that you read chapter fifty-three before then. Not doing your homework could prove…..deadly" Dr. Stein chirped. "Class dismissed."


	4. Chapter 4

Soul Eater Forever in the Never After Chapter 4 Last Revised Wed February.2.2011.

It was quiet out on the roof. The sky was a gorgeous shade of blue and the clouds were parting as if they were being burst open. Soul leaned his head against the building drumming his fingers. It was a good spot to be alone.

"The great Black Star is here! Yahoo!"

Soul didn't look to see where the noise was coming from; he knew it would come to him.

"So much for being alone," he huffed.

"There you are!" Black Star cried, jumping off one of the spiked cones of the DWMA building and somersaulting onto the ground beside Soul.

"What are you doing here all alone?" he asked, jumping up and down to stretch his legs.

"I just don't understand how things got out of control so fast," Soul said tiredly rubbing the bridge of his nose, "I don't understand what's going on. Maka is giving me the cold shoulder and Kid… I'm not sure how I feel about her new closeness with him."

Black Star gave Soul a punch in the shoulder. "What, do you hate him or something?"

"No." Soul tapped his foot on one of the giant candles affixed to the building, leaving imprints on the soft wax.

"You should be! He broke the Dude Code, right?" Black Star said cheerfully.

"The Dude Code?" Soul looked at Black Star like he'd sprouted a second head.

"You know, the _Dude Code_. Or maybe a normal person like you hasn't heard of the Dude Code; maybe it's something only we stars know about. I thought all guys had to learn the dude code though." He rubbed his chin and looked puzzled.

Soul gathered that the Dude Code must be something that Black Star made up; possibly he was referring to his morals.

"So enlighten me on the Dude Code and which rule Kid broke." Soul snorted.

"The one that says you can't make a move on your friend's girl, idiot." Black Star said, grinning from ear to ear.

Soul had a moment of clarity. That was it: that's why he was so pissed with Kid. Maka wasn't actually his girlfriend or anything but Death the Kid had hit on his Meister. As far as he was concerned, nobody should hit on his Miester; that was forbidden territory, even to Soul. After all, what if something changed? What if Maka fell in love and couldn't resonate with him anymore, then what would happen? _Easy, she she'd probably get killed._ Soul thought. _Without our resonance, I can't protect her. I can't let that happen._

"You get it now?" Black Star kneed Soul in the head and broke his concentration. "Or do I need to teach you the other sacred rules of dude-dom?"

"I guess you need to teach me, oh wise master." Soul laughed sarcastically, "I better learn the sacred rules so I don't accidently break one." He and Black Star never talked this way. It was like Black star had suddenly grown half a brain.

"Lemme try to remember them all," Black Star said dropping down to the ground and crossing his legs, "Number one: Don't eat the last of another dude's food. That includes drinks and the last slice of pie."

Soul stared at him. This was Black Star's deep moral philosophy?

"Number two: Never go all lovey-dovey with someone you consider a bro." Black Star rattled off,

"Number three: You don't date a friend's girl, even if the friend is just interested in her and not dating her or anything."

"Number four: Never call a friend's family member bad names, even though that friend might be doing it." Black Star was now counting on his fingers looking at the sky.

"Number five: Don't hit on your friend's mom."

"Number six: Don't hit on a dude's girlfriend's mom."

"Number seven: Don't hang out in cabaret clubs unless you're in a group, it just makes you look lonely and pathetic."

"Number eight: Don't drink alcohol unless you know Sid's not going to catch you."

"Number nine: Dudes don't drink fruity girly drinks, like things with fruit and umbrellas. Even though they taste good."

Black star was on a roll now_. How the hell is he remembering all this crap when he studied for a week before our last test and got a zero?_ Soul thought, his jaw dropping open in amazement.

"Number ten: Never hit girls." Black Star let out a long breath and looked a little deflated.

"Before you go saying anything about me breaking the Dude Code and punching Maka, understand that I treat Maka like my equal. We've been friends a lot longer than you and her and no matter what you're just never going to understand. So don't get pissed at me, okay?" Black Star said putting his hand above his head like he was testifying, "I know I broke the Dude Code and Sid busted my ass so good I'll probably never do it again. But sometimes Maka makes the Dude Code hard to follow. She's always been that way even when two of us were just kids."

Soul interrupted Black Star's monologue. He didn't like where the conversation was heading. It sounded like Black Star had been thinking about breaking Rule Three of the Dude Code himself.

"So Sid taught you all this stuff?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Black Star.

"Yeah, the guy's like a father to me." Black Star said proudly, rocking back on his heels. "He said that he was going to be one of the little people I had to remember when I made it to stardom."

"I didn't realize you two were that close." Soul said.

"Well duh. Who do you think took care of me at the academy after Lord Death had both my parents killed?" Black Star asked, as though Soul was an idiot.

"Is that why you got a beef with Kid? Cause his old man killed yours?"

"Hell no, I don't even dislike Kid. I may talk smack about him but that's because I still feel like he's the guy I have to beat to get at the top." Black Star shrugged "I admit I'm not that happy with him right now, though. I just don't believe he broke Rule Three. The guy had to know. So why did he knowingly break the Dude Code?"

"Maybe he didn't realize he was breaking the Dude Code." Soul offered, "Maybe he's never heard of it either."

"Maybe. It amazes me you didn't know about it Soul. Don't you have an older brother?"

"Yeah, but we're like night and day. We don't get along at all. Maybe we should sit Kid down and explain the Dude Code to him" Soul said changing the subject, "I say we give him the benefit of the doubt. Wait a second, Black Star. Rule Three says you don't date another guy's girl…how do you know I even like Maka that way?"

"Jeeze Soul, you can be pretty thick. It's completely obvious". Black Star mimicked Soul's voice, "I won't let anyone touch my Miester. Wahhh." Black Star began rubbing his eyes and pretending to cry.

"I do not sound like that! Completely un-cool Black Star." Soul tried to whack Black Star in the back but his hand just hit hard muscle and Black Star didn't even flinch.

"Yeah you do. You're worse than a girl about it too. You probably secretly pine away for her when you're alone."

"What!" Soul yelled, baring his fangs, "Who the hell would pine away over that scrawny, flat-chested little…" A powerful impact met his jaw and he went spinning into the air. Black Star was on his feet looking miffed.

"Shit like that is what's completely uncool," Black Star huffed, "That's the stuff that pisses Maka off and makes her cry. You need to stop saying crap like that or you and I aren't going to be friends any more" Black Star nudged Soul with his shoe, making sure he was alive.

Soul twitched on the ground for a few more minutes a crumpled pile before trying to raise himself off the floor. _Black Star's getting stronger. Damn he hits hard_. Soul thought.

"Why do you care about how me and Maka act with each other anyway?" He yelled, annoyed.

"Because she was the first girl that ever noticed me!" Black star yelled back.**

"When I was little, I use to train every day with Sid. One day Spirit came by with Maka and she watched us. She went all gooey and told her dad that she thought I was cool."

Soul felt his stomach knot. He knew it. He just F-ing knew it. "So you're telling me you got a thing for Maka too, is that what I'm understanding?" He hollered, his calm slipping further away. "Why the hell are you telling me this, huh? Do you think I want to know that _all _my friends are crushing on my Meister? What about Tsubaki, does she know?"

"Just because you got a crush on someone doesn't mean you got to do anything about it. Like I told you before; I can't hit on her 'cause it breaks the Dude Code…" Black Star wiped a hand over his eyes and down his face, " I didn't even know I felt that way until I saw Maka in the hospital after that chain saw guy and Arachne ripped her up. Something about it just made me insane. "

"As for Tsubaki, I'd never make a move on Maka even if you were out of the picture. Not until she moved on and found someone better. I couldn't do that to her." Black Star said quietly, looking at the clouds. "Of course she's going to have a hard time finding a bigger star than me, and all other guys are going to be pale in comparison, but I want Tsubaki to be happy more than I want myself to be happy." Black Star's smile humbly, "Tsubaki is really special." he added and laughed gently.

_Why can't I just say it?_ Black Star thought to himself. After all this time, was he really just going to give up on Maka because his friend had a thing for her and it violated the Dude Code? Black Star felt slightly nauseated. _Sid was right, first loves are always the hardest to get over._

"Then I guess I broke the Dude Code first if you've been crushing on her since you were kids." Soul said. The Dude Code was making his head hurt.

"You don't have to worry about me, Soul. I'm not going to make a move on Maka. I'm not like Kid." Black Star said, trying to feel as resolute as he sounded, "You're my best friend, and I'm not going to end it because we like the same girl. You said you liked her first, so makes her off limits."

"Actually, you got something wrong Black Star. I'm not sure I really do feel that way about Maka." Soul reached up and grabbed a fist full of his hair. "I just don't like the thought of her liking another guy…No that's not it…It's the opposite of that. I don't want other guys liking my Miester. I've never said anything to her that would make her think I wanted her to be my girlfriend." Soul replied darkly.

"You're a real idiot Soul. I guess I've been worried over nothing then. If you don't know how you feel and you're scared to say anything to her, then you don't deserve her." Black Star said and took a running leap off the roof. "Don't talk to me again till you grow a pair Soul. Yahoo!" he screamed over his shoulder.

Black Star loved the way the wind ripped past him when he was falling. That's why one of his favorite past times was jumping off dangerously high places. _This kind of high can give a man real clarity. Maybe I should have shoved Soul off so he could experience it._ Black Star thought, feeling the wind race through his hair. _I hope he realizes that wanting Maka to be alone just so he won't be alone is just plain selfish._

Black Star reached out and grabbed onto a nearby wire. His fingers wrapped around it easily and he realized he could probably do this move with his eyes closed. The wire was a long thick one that ended right next to the windowsill outside Professor Stein's office. If you caught the wire just right you could use your own weight to bounce yourself up and land on it feet first. Then all you had to do was walk through the open window straight onto Stein's desk. Stein had tried locking the window, but every time Black Star found it locked he'd just kicked the damn thing in. It was really no big deal; after all, what could the school do to a big star like him? Black Star jumped through the open window to find the professor sitting at his desk_. Oops, _he thought.

"Is there a particular reason you missed my class today Black Star?" Dr. Stein asked in a creepy voice - the one where you couldn't tell if he was bored or angry.

"Too nice of a day to be stuck in doors." Black Star said without hesitation.

Over in the corner a goat was bleating in a cage. Black Star watched as Dr. Stein began to pull out a marker and a few surgical tools out of his top drawer. The room smelled like a barn yard and Black Star covered his nose.

"As long as you're here maybe you could knock that goat out for me. Then I won't have to steal anesthesia from the nurses office again!" Stein said, smiling at his good fortune.

"Why does the goat have to be knocked out, Dr. Stein?" Black Star put his hand in the cage and rubbed the goat's nose.

"Even I'm not that sadistic." Stein sounded offended. He pulled out an old fashioned straight razor and added it to the pile of scalpels and syringes he was gathering.

"Uh…What are you planning to do to the goat." Black Star asked, pretty sure he already knew. His face suddenly felt hot and he pulled his collar away from his neck, trying to get more air to breathe.

"Well, Tsubaki said something interesting in class today about using a goat to bring back the dead. It gave me a great idea – If I can bring back a person like Professor Sid as a zombie, than why couldn't I bring back a goat as a zombie?" Stein gave the wheel on his head a few cranks and then pushed it into a spin.

"Zombie…Goat." Black Star repeated nervously before his anger stomped out his fear of the professor. Black Star had never understood why Dr. Stein had gotten away with zombifying Sid. Sure Sid was still around, which was a good thing, but the fact that he'd been one of Dr. Stein's experiments made Black Star blood boil.

"You know, a goat's gotta have a lot of blood in it. Ain't it going to be kind of messy dissecting it while it's still alive?" Black Star asked, trying to distract Stein.

"You know, that's a very good point, Black Star. I should go get a bucket. No. Maybe I need something bigger, like a washtub." Stein said wandering back into his storage room.

Black Star grimaced and opened the cage. "Hey you!" He poked the goat and the goat bit his finger. "Owie!" The ninja cried and bit his tongue to swallow the noise.

"I'm trying to save you and this is how you treat me"" He hissed, pointing a finger at the goat, who promptly bit him again.

"Black Star bring the goat in here, will you?" Professor Stein called out.

Black star scooped up the goat and held it to his chest. He heard Stein rummaging around in the other room. The goat bit Black Star's ear as the boy leapt up on the desk and out the window. The goat screamed and pressed itself against Black Star as they tore through the sky.

Black Star landed adeptly on his feet just as Maka, Death the Kid and the Thompson sisters exited the school.

"Black Star what are you doing with that goat?" Kid asked, pointing a finger at the animal.

"Dude, don't point at the goat; it hates that! Professor Stein was going to make it into a zombie." Black Star shot back, trying to keep the goat from licking the inside of his ear. Evidently the goat was grateful to be alive and had declared a truce.

Kid, Maka and Liz were dumbstruck and didn't know what to say. Patty broke their silence.

"Zombie Goat!" she cackled and laughed until her eyes watered.

Kid shook his head and raised his hand in front of his face. "Say no more. I don't want to know."

"Maka, you're still going to show me how to do laundry today right?" Black star asked, shoving the goat under his arm while it struggled to get down.

"Of course!" Maka said happily, scratching the goat on the head, "It's so cute." she cried.

as the goat began to lick her. All three girls fell crowded around Black Star.

"Good thing you rescued it from Dr. Stein" Liz said as the goat licked her chin.

"Zombie Goat." Patty snickered and looked at the goat adoringly. "Can we have one Kiddo-kun?"

"Absolutely not! Barn animals are meant to be kept outside." Kid said objected using his arms to make a "no" sign. Both the Thomson sisters looked at Kid with pleading eyes.

"Can I borrow you belt Patty?" Maka asked.

"Sure!" Patty began stripped off her belt and handed it to Maka. "Whatcha need it for?"

Maka wrapped the belt around the goat's neck and fashioned a leash with it. Kid's eyebrow began to twitch. Now Patty wasn't wearing a belt and Liz still was. _They're unbalanced!_ He thought, panicking.

"Liz give her yours too, the leash isn't long enough with just one belt." He commanded, averting his eyes.

Liz gave him a knowing smile and handed her belt over to Maka. "Oh, sure, just worried about the length, were you?" she cooed into Kid's ear.

"Okay I think that's good" Maka decided making sure the goat couldn't slip the makeshift leash, "Let's go get that laundry before Tsubaki gets home."

"What are you going to do with it Black Star?" Kid asked as they started following Black Star down the street.

"Got no clue, just knew I couldn't leave it with Stein." He said giving the goat a tug so it would follow along.

"Animals need food and medical attention and a lot of care." Death the Kid said, anticipating another wave of begging from the Thompson sisters.

"Well Tsubaki is the most caring person in the world so I guess we got that covered." Black Star said stopping at what looked to be an abandoned lot. Weeds and grass grew higher than the fence, but a roof could be seen from the road. Mounds of advertisements had fallen out of the mailbox and were tossed haphazardly on the sidewalk. A hose ran into some sort of sinkhole next to the door step, which had sunken halfway into the ground.

Kid took it all in and the world began spinning. "This is a disgusting mess! Horrible! Disgusting…disgusting…I can't stand it!" he hyperventilated, his finger dancing around and pointing at all that was wrong with the house. Finally he just blacked out.

"What's his problem?" Black Star wondered, rubbing his head in confusion as he looked at Kid's limp form. The goat butted Kid's leg and looked confused as well.

Liz poked Kid's side with her shoe and Patty exclaimed, "Wow! That's the longest I've seen him last here."

"Kid-kun!" Maka cried, checking his forehead and trying to wake him up.

Black Star looked down to see that the goat had chewed through the belts. It was dancing around happily in his yard and chewing on a high patch of grass. The goat ripped greedily at it in utter bliss. "Dude, look! It's better than a lawn mower!" he said, elbowing Patty.

Patty grabbed her stomach, "Lawn mower, oh yeah! Zombie Lawnmower Goat! I love it!" She shrieked. "It's so happy!"

"It does look pretty happy. Guess that answers the question of Black Star being able feed the goat." Liz mused. She looked back at Maka, who was anxiously fanning Kid with her hand.

"Here Maka let's drag him inside. If he wakes up out here he'll just pass out again." _Kid's flipped out in front of Maka a hundred times. Why is she freaking out all of a sudden?_ Liz wondered. She grabbed one of Kid's arms and Maka took the other as Black Star opened the door.

"You don't lock it?" Patty questioned Black Star.

"Who would want to break into this dump?" Black Star asked, holding the door open for Liz and Maka.

"True." Patty said following the trio in.

The living room always gave Liz the creeps. It was just the way she and Patty had lived once. Though it was very neat, thanks to Tsubaki, the small house was crammed with mismatched furniture and the discarded hand me downs of other people.

"Wait here guys, I'll get a trash bag and stuff all the dirty laundry in it." Black Star said.

Patty dropped down on the couch nearest to her. "Feels like home, don't it Liz?" she mused.

Liz laid Kid down on another sofa and Maka put his head in her lap. "I'd ask for a clean rag but they probably don't have one." Maka said, undoing her tie and holding it out to Liz. "I don't want to move him. Can you wet this for me please?"

Liz smirked, "Sure."

"So how long?" Patty asked interestedly, and staring at Maka.

"Huh? How long what?" Maka asked, not looking away from Kid.

"How long have the two of you been sneaking around?" Liz explained as she came back from the kitchen and handed Maka the wet tie.

"We haven't been sneaking around at all." Maka protested.

"Meaning?" Patty demanded, her blue eyes focusing on Maka's green ones. Liz knew this trick; it was how Patty sized people up and could tell if they were lying.

"Meaning that it's all new to me." Maka said quietly, "I didn't even know that he knew I existed."

Black Star was listening and watching long before he entered the room with the first garbage bag full of dirty clothes_. Good,_ he thought to himself, _they haven't been seeing each other behind everybody's backs. That will make things a little easier_. He watched as Maka dabbed at Kids forehead and neck with her brow knitted in concern, and felt a twinge of jealousy. He remembered how many times Maka had bandaged him up when they were kids and the memory spilled over him like warm water. Black Star grabbed another garbage bag and began fetching Tsubaki's things.

"You're going to exhaust yourself if you start doing that every time he breaks down." Liz said, enjoying herself immensely_. Kiddo's growing up. He's got his first girlfriend, how sweet_ she thought to herself. _Long overdue, too. Maybe Maka's bravery will rub off on him a little and help him stand up to his OCD._

"Yeah! You baby him like that he's going to get spoiled." Patty smiled warmly at Maka. "It's best to just force him out of it!" she said, cracking her knuckles and getting up off the sofa.

"Force him?" Maka shifted a nervously. She let go of Kid, who rolled face down into her lap. He gave a tiny groan and rubbed his cheek against Maka's thigh. Maka was frozen in embarrassment, and didn't know what to do.

Liz smiled evilly, "Damn! I wish I had a camera right now. I could blackmail him for a month."

Patty pulled Kid's cell phone out of her school bag and passed it to her sister.

"He, he, say cheese Kiddo!" Liz chortled, snapping away.

Patty pulled Kid up by the collar and began yelling in his ear. "Wake up idiot and quit sexually harassing Maka! She shook him until he regained consciousness and dumped him in the floor. "You pervert!" She giggled gleefully. Maka fell over on the couch and covered her face

"What's going on out here?" Black Star burst in. Only thing he had heard was Patty calling Kid a pervert.

"Nothing?" Kid said raising his hand to his soaked collar. He began gulping in air.

"Pervert, pervert, pervert!" Patty howled

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Kid rasped, trying to figure out how he ended up at what looked to be a garage sale or a flea market

"And after poor Maka was so sweet to you and dabbed at your forehead with her little wet tie." Liz said with mock sympathy.

"Someone please tell me what the hell is going on!" Kid yelled

"That's what I'd like to know." Black Star scowled.

"You're an enemy to women Kiddo-kun." Liz said with mock severity.

"What the hell did you do?" Black Star said looking at Maka who was lying on his couch with her eyes covered. He stalked over to Kid with a menacing glare.

Elizabeth flicked the camera phone into Kid's hand. "Just look! We took pictures."

Kid found five new pictures on his phone and began flipping through them. His eyes darted over each, his face growing redder and redder as he went.

That's what you get for trying to keep secrets from your sisters" Liz told him.

"I _am_ an enemy to women." Kid repeated in a suicidal tone. "Go ahead Black Star, go ahead and kill me."

"Okay!" Black Star said cheerily, tackling Kid and knocking him backwards.

"Stop it!" Maka yelled as Black Star slapped Kid upside the head. Furious, she yelled "Maka Chop!" and let fly with a hardcover dictionary off of the coffee table. The book missed Black Star entirely and hit Kid square in the forehead. Maka gasped in horror and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Soul, you are a strong man." Kid mumbled, curling up on the rug. Patty and Liz came and stood over him like vultures.

"You still alive?" Liz asked curiously.

"He's still alive!" Patty answered excitedly.

"I'm sorry Kid-kun! I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" Maka gabbled. Liz and Patty put their arms around her.

"See, he's fine! That's the way you force him out of it! She handles him like she's one of us, huh Sis?" Patty said proudly. She hugged Liz, trapping Maka's head between their breasts.

Black Star watched the sight with interest. "This is almost better than pay per view! Keep doing that!"

"Maka Chop!" A scream that could have lifted the roof off the house echoed though Death City and for Black Star all the world went dark.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Laundry Day**

**Rewritten And Posted Monday April 4 2011  
**

* * *

Liz looked around at the mess in Black Star and Tsubaki's house. Maka was stacking up bags of dirty laundry, Patty was flipping the coffee table back over and dropping a dictionary and a copy of _Midnight In The Garden on Bayou_ on top of it. All in all, everything looked better than when they first got there. Well, except that Black Star was out cold from the beating he had received from Maka, and Kid was in some self-inflicted downward spiral that had him stuck flipping through the pictures on his cell phone.

"What are we going to do about Black Star?" Liz grumped at Maka.

"He's not getting out of laundry that easy. I'll just drag him home." Maka said with a snort of laughter.

"You know, maybe you should have knocked him out after you got the laundry done Maka." Liz suggested.

Maka shook her head embarrassed. "Yeah, but in my defense he had it coming and he normally doesn't fall down dead after one punch. I guess Tsubaki has been going easy on him in training."

Liz shook her head again. Maka and Black Star's relationship was weird; there was something there lingering from the past but she just didn't know what. Part of her wanted to ask but she decided against it. Maka was busy shuffling Black Star up and grabbed a good handful of his collar. Liz watched Maka's wrist strain slightly as she dragged the ninja up into the air, using his own shirt as a handle. Her precise movements showed Liz that this had happened before and Maka was used to it.

Liz yelled in Kid's ear to pull him out of his stupor. "Kid, get your ass moving! We're leaving." Liz yanked Kid to his feet and struggled with her schoolbag and another sack of laundry. Patty grabbed two of the garbage bags and Maka grabbed the last and the unconscious Black Star as Patty shut the door behind them. On her way through the yard they snagged the goat, since it wouldn't be fair for Tsubaki to come home to an unexplained goat eating her yard.

Maka trudged down the street, carrying huge bags of laundry, and an unconscious boy whose shoelaces were being chased by a goat. Patty led Kid who was clicking his phone like a maniac and muttering to himself and, Patty sang a wicked little song about heroin and treacle to the tune of 'Pop goes the Weasel'.

Liz looked flustered and muttered, "Should have never bought her that _Lords of Acid_ CD."

_When did I become the den mother at the lunatic asylum?_ Maka asked herself. _This is another one of those days that make me wish I could go back in time and accept that damn partnership with Ox-kun_. Maka noticed that Black Star felt heavier and found that the goat was lying on Black Star's belly and riding him like a sled. It had succeeded in yanking off his shoe and was now happily chewing on it. The scene was so bizarre that she started laughing and couldn't stop .

"OOOH it's so cute." Liz cried, then revised her statement, "I mean the goat, not Black Star."

"I want one." Patty shrieked, pouting.

Kid finally looked up and found nothing cute or amusing. The goat had made bed of Black Star and was gnawing his shoe and Maka was laughing so loud she sounded like Patty. Kid looked at Black Star's limp feet; one foot in a shoe and the other in a sock. Unforgivable. He glared at the goat evilly.

"Hand it over" Kid said threateningly. The goat's eyes got big but it kept chewing on Black Star's shoe laces defiantly it began to suck the shoe lace up into its mouth like a piece of spaghetti and Kid ripped the shoe out of the goats mouth and smacked him on the head with it. "That's a bad goat." he scolded, "You should never ruin a person's symmetry."

"Kid you quit picking on that goat!" Liz yelled.

"Yeah, goat abuser!" Patty smacking him with a sack full of what he perceived to be garbage and then Liz joined in. Maka was squatting on the ground laughing so hard she was crying when Black Star came to. The goat jumped off of him and ran over to chew on one of Maka's pig tails and Black Star shook his head trying to clear the stars from his eyes. Instinctively he wrapped an arm around Maka and began surveying his surroundings. Maka was crying, no laughing so hard she was in tears. Liz and Patty were beating up Kid with his laundry sacks, and the goat was gumming on Maka's hair.

"Oh for the love of god, don't beat me to death with garbage, I'd rather be shot." Death the Kid bellowed loudly, covering his face.

"I can arrange that." Patty added darkly.

Black Star stretched and cleared his throat before adding. "Don't worry prince charming, it ain't garbage it's my laundry."

Black Star's voice distracted Liz and Patty and Kid took the girls' surprise as a chance to escape. He motioned to the goat wildly with his hands. "That goat is an absolute menace, it's trying to ruin Maka's hair. You should return that thing to Dr. Stein. Before I make chevon out of it." Kid told him.

"Menace! Hey that's a good name. Menace the goat." Black Star said proudly, as if he'd thought of it himself.

"I've never heard of a menacing goat." Maka laughed and sat down on the concrete curb next to Black Star, who was tying his slobber-coated shoelaces.

"Well it has to be menacing if it's my goat." Black Star said striking a martial arts pose. "You like that Menace? You like that fuzz butt? I was thinking of something more like a Rottweiler for a pet but it wouldn't be half as useful as this guy. That's right! Who's a good lawn mower?" Black Star said in baby talk roughing up the goat's ears.

"Menace the lawn mowing zombie goat." Patty laughed.

"Sounds like a movie I may have watched," Liz chuckled.

"Sounds like a movie you _tried_ to watch. "Kid snapped; he was getting tired of every one picking on him today. Time to turn the attention to someone else. "Oh Patty please turn it off, it frightens me." Kid impersonated Liz, who glared and spanked him with her laundry bag.

"Sis is a big chicken. She's afraid of dolls, ghosts, monsters, killer insects, snakes, vampires, werewolves…" Patty said happily

"I'm not afraid of werewolves anymore. After seeing that idiotic witchy-werewolf guy I kind of lost all fear and respect for the genre." Liz corrected, thrusting the bags of laundry at Kid and Black Star. She looked over to see Maka watching and smiling at the group. Somehow she looked lost without her cool-obsessed partner at her side. Liz took the trash bags back from Kid and he gave her a confused look. She handed one back to Patty and quietly pointed to Maka and nudged him with her hip.

Kid took a few steps forward, nearly falling. He straightened himself and offered Maka his hand to help her rise back up off the curb. He was a little surprised when she took it. She lifted herself up and pulled Kid forward. Her arm snaked across his waist as they walked and she rested her open palm on his hip.

_What just happened? _Kid wondered, enjoying the warm hand resting on the side of his body_. That was a total guy move. Is Maka trying to flirt?_ Maka seemed unaware of the gesture but he knew Patty and Liz were. He could hear the two of them snickering and their eyes drilled into his back all the way to Maka's apartment. Maka released him and Kid felt the warmth on his hip dissipate as she punched in the code that buzzed the door open. Patty ran for the elevator, pushing the button over and over again. When it opened the team squished into the elevator with their fraying trash bags of clothes. Before Liz could stop her Patty hit the buttons to every floor and pushed the button for Maka's floor over and over.

While elevator made its rounds to each of the floors and Kid reached out timidly and took Maka's hand. He was nervous, his palms were sweaty and he felt totally ill prepared. Maka looked up and grinned at him. Her hand felt warm in his and she seemed pretty comfortable. She nudged Kid with her hip and leaned her head against his shoulder. Kid adjusted his arm so that Maka fell into his side. It was a pretty clumsy move and didn't have the desired effect he wanted. He laid his arm down the length of hers pulling her against him tightly and Maka giggled.

Black Star raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Kid gave him a grin, "Trying to take this laundry bag away from Maka." Kid made an attempt for the bag in her far hand and she smacked him in the shin with it.

"What, now that we're home you're going to try to help carry it? I don't think so." Maka complained swatting at his hand. Kid's gave up and draped his arm over her shoulder as the elevator door opened. Maka skipped away from him and unlocked her front door. The goat trotted in after Maka as if riding in an elevator to an eighth-floor apartmentwas a perfectly normal thing for a goat to do.

Black Star stretched his arms while Liz and Patty removed their shoes and put on guest slippers. It was a routine they knew well. Black Star bent to take off his own shoes and was immediately sacked by the laundry bags Patty and Liz were carrying. Both of them plopped down on the couch exhausted and propped their feet up on the coffee table.

"Okay Maka, where do we start?" Black Star asked, bowing as if he were getting ready to take instructions from a sensei.

"Let me get my hair out of my face first." Maka said, pulling her pigtails down. She held the elastic bands in her mouth and re-separated her hair so that her bangs fell back into the pigtails. Then she neatly twisted them into two buns on top of her head. Kid watched, frozen. The hair style was giving him another one of the Maka fantasies that he'd been having with alarming frequency.

"Quit staring like an idiot. Your mouth is hanging open." Liz whispered into his ear as she sidled up behind him.

Kid watched Maka tie on a frilly pink checkered apron with a tulip on it and cover her hair with a kerchief.

"So adorable." He whispered back to Liz, a sloppy grin forming on his face.

"You look like one of those desperate men that hang out in the red light district." Patty hissed, yanking Kids ear down to her lips. "Pull it together Kiddo-kun or else! If you don't behave yourself I'm going to bite you!" Patty showed him a mouth full of shark-like teeth and made 'chomp, chomp' noises. Kid looked at Patty in fright and shook himself out of his stupor.

"Maka, do you have another apron and bandana I can borrow?" he asked, mustering all the sophistication he could. He looked back at his sisters, who were now leering at him. Patty was making the cut throat sign across her neck and Elizabeth was mouthing the words "Hurry up and make your move," she motioned to Black Star who was oblivious and playing with the goat."

Maka produced another white kerchief, and Death the Kid took it and an apron from her. The apron was pristine white and looked like the kind worn by short order cooks; Kid used a similar one at home when he did housework. He took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves so they were precisely the same length and donned the apron and kerchief.

"I bought that for Soul but he never uses it to clean. I take that back he may have used it a total of once before it got shoved in the closet, never be used again." Maka said sarcastically as they dragged the bags to the laundry room.

"How does he do house work without messing up his clothes?" Death the Kid asked, baffled.

"When I make Soul to do housework he just does it in his normal clothes." Maka replied. She began to drag the bags into the laundry room.

"But he must get all smelly with cleaners, and bleach stains and dirt." Kid protested.

"Tell me about it." Maka said, opening the first of the garbage bags.

Kid winced a little when all the clothes fell to the floor but he picked up the next bag and emptied it out the same way. Maka patted him on the shoulder gently

"Just remember the analogy 'To make an omelet you have to break a few eggs'. It's probably going to be really messy. And smelly, if it's anything like those socks from this morning."

"It smells like he broke a couple of eggs; a couple of rotten ones." Kid joked.

Kids stomach was fluttering, and he couldn't shake off his uneasiness. He was in a very small room with someone else's laundry; something about it felt highly disturbing. He looked at the trash bags on the floor and began shaking. The room seemed to shrink in on him all the sudden. It was a lot hotter, too. Kid split another bag of clothes open and gagged.

"Oh god, the smell." he started shaking, and struggled to retain his composure.

"Kid-kun are you ok?"

"I'm trying to concentrate on the fact that you're right here with me." Kid said opening another bag of clothes. His stomach lurched; no one should have laundry that smelled this bad. Hadn't Black Star only been kicked out of the Laundromat recently?

Maka rubbed her hands on his arms. "Close your eyes if you're feeling off balanced. She shut the laundry room door to block out whatever noise was coming from the living room. The door latched with a click and Death the Kid gulped. He wasn't sure he was ready to look at all the dirty laundry on the floor, so he kept his eyes on Maka. The twin buns in her hair looked remotely Chinese and very exotic. He shuffled closer to her and stepped on something squishy. He looked down at the laundry tangled around his shoes and suddenly the room felt suffocating.

"Close your eyes Kid-kun." Maka scolded quietly. Her voice sounded velvety and thick. The rich tone had promise in it. He had never heard Maka speak this way before. Kid squeezed his eyes shut, finding Maka's voice more powerful than the dirty room.

Maka moved into his body and without any warning, she reached up to kiss him. Her lips overlapped his and her scent blocked all the smell of the room. He felt the warmth of her clothes and the heartbeat beneath thrumming against him. She kissed him harder, more sure of herself, as she brought his face down to hers. Kid wanted to open his eyes but feared the kiss would end so he just enjoyed the movement of her mouth on his. His hands trailed down and he tangled his fingers around the small of her back. Maka was pulling against his collar so he stood no chance of escaping her. Kid let his hands trail across Maka's skirt. He raised her up to give himself a better angle and let her dangle in air, his hands firmly grasped around her thin waist. Finally it was too much and he broke off for air. His body slid back against the washing machine for support as he let Maka down. Kid could only imagine how he looked right now. He took a few ragged breaths and tried to calm himself back down. His his body ached as she pulled away from him, protesting the loss of her warmth.

Maka was looking at him sincerely, like she hadn't just tried to eat him alive. Her cheeks were flushed with either embarrassment or lust, Kid couldn't tell which.

"From now on Kid-kun when you feel unbalanced or when the world starts closing in on you, I want you to close your eyes and remember that kiss. That way when something's bothering you, you won't feel so alone. You'll know you can feel helpless and still have it feel good."

Maka watched silently as Kid recovered himself. He looked like a trapped animal and he was bracing himself against her washing machine; his knees pushed out to balance himself. She couldn't believe what she'd just done. _Nice girls didn't do that kind of thing_ she told herself. Her nerves were bound tight afraid of the response she might receive. So far Kid was the one that had been controlling the intimate situations. This time she had taken the initiative, and felt that she could help him in the process by doing so. She watched as Kid raised to his feet as if strings had pulled him up. He touched his mouth, looked down at the laundry and closed his eyes again. Then a almost satisfied grin filled his lips

"Can I get another kiss like that if I tell you it's not working?" Kid mumbled so quietly that Maka could barely hear it. He kicked the laundry off his shoes and felt a feral hunger as he looked at Maka. An instant heat filled the two feet of space between them. Maka watched as Kid's expression went from dark and needy to touched and thankful. Whatever he had been fighting within himself gave way to extreme politeness.

"Thank you Maka I will remember this from now on." He whispered leaning his forehead against hers, "I didn't know you had that kind of thing in you." Kid was too close and Maka couldn't see his face.

"Normally I don't." Maka confessed feeling the nerves in her stomach tighten again. He was just leaning on her. Was he angry, was he happy, was he excited? She just couldn't tell. Her breath caught in her throat. She could feel her body begin to shiver with nerves. It felt like she was a rubber band that had been pulled too tight and threatened to break.

It flicked a switch in Kid. There it was again, that fear. The dark part of him just wanted to suck it out of her.

"Don't shake." he whispered, reaching again for her. He found the place where her bra crossed her back and began tracing the line of it under her clothes

"I like the strong Maka. I like the invincible Maka that shares her strength with me," he purred into her hair, "The scared, quivering Maka appeals too much to the part of me that is Shinigami. It makes me want to do real bad things to you." Kid stroked her back but couldn't find any claps on her bra. His own body began to shake with dark hunger. Why was it that a little fear could make him go so far?

Was this what it meant to be a true Death-god? To command fear, to want it from others? His brain pushed at itself looking for answers he just didn't have. He pulled Maka against him till she stopped shaking. Surely she could feel his desire right now. It was embarrassing, but he had to get her to quit feeling scared. This was the only way to tell her how much he wanted her that didn't require him to talk and risk saying something perverted or stupid. His own heart beat slowed as hers did and he found her pulse was beginning to beat more normally. Maka looked up completely embarrassed and found a matching expression on Death the Kid's face.

"You understand now? He tried to give her a smile but his eyes were just not in it. He looked insecure instead.

Maka felt something hard and long press into her thigh. She felt slightly embarrassed. _Did I do that? Is it normal for a boy to get all hot and bothered over just one kiss?_ "I understand now. I'm sorry if I…err…pushed you till you were uncomfortable." Maka stammered.

"No, it was amazing," Kid gushed, he smiled with his eyes this time. "I'm going to be remembering that kiss every time the world falls down. Quit being so nervous with me, I told you before I like the confident Maka." Kid pressed his face into Maka's long neck and nuzzled her with his mouth. He inhaled her deeply forcing the smell of the laundry room out of his nose.

"There is just one more thing." he said as he turned away and began to sort through the piles of clothes.

"What's that Kid-kun?" Maka asked digging into a pile that looked like it was primarily composed of Tsubaki's things.

"I just wanted to let you know, that I liked it when you jumped me. I will look forward to the next time you do it again." Kid spoke with a quiet regal filling his voice. He sagged with relief as he spoke the last piece of embarrassing information he would give today. He had done enough confessing to last him a life time, so he was happy to start sorting clothes and relaxing into cleaning. Maka had dropped the first load of laundry into the wash and the fragrant smell of detergent and fabric softener soon filled the room.

_Thank god for cleaning. It can take your mind off any awkward situation_ he thought. They sorted through the five bags and began separating things into piles, and Maka set aside some things that needed to be delicately washed. She began to hum lightly and Kid smiled to himself. It was good being with her like this. Sharing something he felt he excelled at. He saw the expression on Maka's face change from contentment to confusion. She stopped humming and looked over around the room as if she was missing something.

"Something's wrong." Maka sat up from the piles of laundry that were now completely sorted into towels, lights, darks, colors, heavy garments, and delicates. The washer buzzed and she flipped it's contents into the dryer with an annoyed movement.

"What's wrong?" Kid asked, confused.

Maka opened the door and screamed, "Black Star, you get your lazy ass in here and come do laundry. Kid and I aren't going to do it all for you if that's what you were planning."

Black Star looked up guiltily from a video game in which he'd been wiping the floor with Liz. Liz took advantage of the distraction to lay down three killer moves and annihilate Black Star's character.

"I win!" she crowed, doing a victory dance with Patty.

"No damn way!" Black Star hollered and Maka took it out of context. She grabbed Black Star by the neck and flung him into the laundry room.

"Yes damn way!"

Kid smiled from ear to ear. "I take it this means he's all mine now?"

"I expect you to be a strict teacher." Maka said smirking at Kid.

"Good then let's get started."

Kid began lecturing Black Star of the evils of keeping filthy disgusting laundry in his house. Maka went into Soul's room, gathered up all the dirty clothes she found there and threw them in with Black Star's.

"Maka I think you should come spend the night with us tonight after you get done with Black Stars laundry" Patty announced.

"Yeah, we can watch movies and give each other pedicures." Liz added.

"Not tonight guys. This is going to take a while, and I want to get Soul's stuff done too. And maybe clean the house a little. Soul's room is starting to overflow into the whole apartment and I need to stop it before it drives me crazy. But if you want I can make some snacks and we can drop in a movie to watch while we're waiting to flip the loads."

"Sounds great to me!" Liz said, "Did you know they made a movie out of "Midnight Garden on the Bayou? It's on later tonight. How about a chick flick to get us in the mood for it?"

Patty took the remote out of her sister's hand and flicked on a horror movie, "Nah. Would you rather watch a stupid romance movie or a zombie movie, Maka? "

_I think I've had enough romance for one day!_ Maka thought to herself and noticed Patty was staring at her strangely.

Patty's eyes shifted to Maka's and then to Liz "Sorry, you lose! Brain eating zombies it is."

"What! She didn't even say anything." Liz protested.

They could hear Kid yelling in the laundry room. Evidently Black Star wasn't co-operating.

"Why the hell is this goddamn goat in here?" Kid screeched, "Patty! Come get this stupid thing."

Patty ignored Kid and began struggling with her sister over the remote.

"I hate scary movies!" Liz cried."

"Tough shit!"

"Oh cool! He's eating the dirty laundry up; now we have less to wash." Black Star chirped, "That's a good Menace"

"You better hope that it's just your laundry it's eating." Kid said, his voice filling the house with disapproval.

"Oh shit, that's Tsubaki's" Black Star cried and there was a violent scuffling noise.

"Catch it you damn idiot." Death the Kid called.

Maka headed back into the laundry room to see what was going on and went into her second giggling fit of the day. The goat had a pair of boxers stuck around its horns and was rooting blissfully in a pile of socks. She watched Black Star bounced around the room trying to get back whatever Menace was eating. The goat pushed past Maka and ran into the living room with Black star in hot pursuit. Maka shrugged and helped Kid resort the clothes. Somehow all the random stuff was just what she needed to take her mind off her awful morning.

"Hey I've got a great snack idea." she said, grinning at Kid.

"I hope its fondue." Kid replied with a perverted little snicker.

"No, I don't have fondue pot." Maka said with a pout, "But I promise you Patty and Liz are going to love it.

"They'll love it. It's not often they get treated by anyone other than me."

This quieted Maka and made her look insightful. "Then I'll do something really special. But I'll 'till Soul gets home." She chewed her lip. "I hope you don't mind."

"Why would I mind?" Kid asked, folding a towel without looking down at it. "Soul's your weapon and you're his Miester. Of course you want to share things with him."

Somewhere minutes off campus, Soul began to sneeze. He kicked his motorcycle into the next gear and plowed down the main road into the city. He had been forced to stay after school after getting caught by Professor Stein, and was freshly released from a scolding that included a section on the evils of goat stealing. So _what if I skipped his stupid class. All we ever do are dissections_. Soul ranted to himself.

_What the hell do I need to know about, zombie raising anyway?_ He thought, thinking about the thick reading assignment and thirty page essay he now had to write. _And who the hell would steal a stupid goat in the first place? The idiot probably just killed it and forgot where he left it._

All Soul could think about was getting home. He didn't mind speeding today, it was just one of those day he felt like being a little chaotic. Without Maka on his back he could drive as fast as he wanted. In no time he pulled into a parking space at the apartment complex, knocked the kickstand back and took the keys out of the ignition.

"Good to be home" Soul sighed, rubbing his forehead and climbing off the motorcycle. He had one of those headaches that felt like a cross between sinus pressure and eyestrain. Maybe he was coming down with the flu or something. Or maybe it was just stress. Arguments with Maka, Black Star, and Dr. Stein all in one day; this was turning into a new record for him. He didn't even want to think about the way Death the Kid had glared at him down the hallway. That was a whole new mess he could deal with tomorrow.

Soul didn't take the time to wait for the elevator and charged up the stairwell instead. He made it up two flights before noticing he was winded. This was unusual for him, after all he worked out nearly every other day and he typically did the stairs on the days he didn't. He began to cough and sat down on the stairs. He ran his hand through his hair and noticed his scalp was sweaty and his hair was damp.

"Goddamn I feel miserable."

Soul pushed out of the stair well and sluggishly headed over to the elevator. He shed his jacket and shoved it into his backpack with his books while he waited for the door to open. There was a strange white-haired women standing in the elevator. She was petite and dressed like a death scythe. She obvious wasn't a straight collar, but then again most of the inhabitants of Death City, Nevada weren't your average human beings. Her strange dress made Soul wonder who she was. A long feathered cape hung down to her ankles and her hair was piled in a style dating back to Marie Antoinette.

"You look like you're coming down with something?" The woman crooned, waving a heavy jeweled hand at Soul.

"I hope not." Soul answered amicably.

"You know, I have a good intuition about these things. You should take care of that illness of yours, sometimes the smallest things can lead to the most horrible accidents."

Soul didn't see the green mist that twirled around the woman's fingers and lit up her emerald jewelry. All he knew was the woman was creepy. Something about the way she talked and looked at him made him feel like a piece of meat. He pushed the button for the seventh floor a couple of times knowing it wouldn't make the elevator go faster, but it gave him something to do.

"You know, I have a son your age. He lives on the outskirts of town, maybe you go to school with him?"

Soul looked at the woman annoyed, "Yeah I probably do if he goes to DWMA."

"It really surprised me, but he did join the DWMA. I find it ironic considering there is nothing those professors can hope to teach him, but then again he is his father's son and he can be just as unpredictable as his old man." The woman's voice sounded bitter. She poured jasmine scented lotion on her palms, her heavy rings clinking together as she rubbed her hands together. She blew Soul a kiss as he darted to the other side of the elevator.

Soul felt his stomach lurch. He was feeling worse, something about that woman's perfume was choking him and made him want to gag. He wiped at his nose fiercely and found little rivulets of blood coming out. Soul cursed, and pulled off his headband, he didn't have any Kleenex with him so he made do with his headband. He had a full nosebleed now, and his sinus felt like they were going to explode. The door opened and soul fled into the hallway. The strange woman just smiled at him and waved as the door closed.

_What the hell was that about? I've never even seen her before, I wonder if she just moved in? _Soul rubbed his nose with his head band and noticed his nose had stopped bleeding. The sinus pressure let up too. He still felt six shades of horrible, but at least he wasn't gushing blood all over the place.

"All I want to do right now is climb in the shower and go to bed. Maybe if I'm lucky I can get a nap in before dinner." Hopefully there would be dinner tonight. Maka was still pissed and he wasn't sure she would actually cook. The apartment door was already unlocked and he opened it to see a strange site. Kid was dressed up like a girl. He was wearing an apron and had a white handkerchief on his head that made him look like a milk maid. Maka was dressed nearly the same, and the two of them were smiling sappily at each other. Blair was sitting on top of the fish bowl and batting at the fish with her paw. The Thompson sisters were sprawled out on his couch fighting over the remote like a couple of thugs. Patty had the thing in her mouth and covering it in drool while Liz tried to pry it from her teeth. And Black Star…oh god, Black Star was running around the living room chasing a goat with a pair of lacey underpants in its mouth and a pair of boxers wrapped around its horns.

Soul took a stepped back into the hallway and checked the number on the apartment door. He shut the door, took a deep breath and covered his face. _It's got to be some kind of hallucination_. Maybe he ate something bad last night, maybe it was the cold he was coming down with or that strange perfume the woman in the elevator had worn. He had a headache and it was bad one now. Soul clutched his eye where the pain was pulsing. _Has the whole damn world gone mad in the last couple of hours? _ All he wanted was some peace and quiet and some time to tell Maka it had just been a big joke, a misunderstanding this morning. But instead he was being greeted by the moron circus.

He turned the doorknob again and walked in; the scene was still playing out as if he hadn't even entered. "It's still here." he growled irritated.

Soul walked over and took the remote from Patty's mouth and dropped it into the Aquarium with the fish Blair was batting at. He tripped the goat and threw the underwear at Maka, hitting her square in the face. Then he grabbed Kid and Black Star and dropped them onto the couch with the Thompson sisters.

Souls face was red with anger. "Get out! Everyone but Maka get out!"

"Kid attempted to spring off the couch and return to Maka side," but Soul put his foot down square in the center of Kid's chest.

He pointed to the door yelling, his voice was growing horse."If your name isn't Maka  
Albarn, get the hell out."

"What do you think you're doing Soul?" Maka demanded throwing the underwear into the wash.

Kid flicked Soul's foot off him as it were nothing. He looked down at the foot print on the white apron and snarled, but Maka was across the room in a second and had a hand on Kid's shoulder. The Thompson sisters took both of Kids' hands.

"I won't let him bully you Maka." Kid said in a dark tone. His eyes were promising violence.

Black Star got up and put his arms around Soul's to restrain him. Soul kicked and tried to get free of Black Star.

"Let it go Soul, let it go. This isn't what we talked about, remember? You were going to talk to him, you weren't going to fight." Black Star said over Souls ranting which was turning into a coughing fit.

The goat looked up at Soul with frightened eyes and began to drop little marble sized pellets on the rug.

Kid's attention focused on the goat; he was now completely ignoring Soul. "This is why you can't have barnyard animals in the house Patty. The rule stands: no pets."

"Tsubaki is going to kill me." Black Star said looking over at the goat mess as Death the Kid shoved a roll of paper towels and a stringent smelling cleaner in his hands

"I'd kill you too if a goat ate my Victoria Secrets." Liz said with laughter creeping into her voice. "Good luck explaining to Tsubaki how her pretty underwear was eaten by a horny goat."

Patty began laughing and Maka and Kid broke into muffled giggles. Soul fell down into the recliner, exhausted. Had he felt better this situation might be funny but right now he was just sick.

Black Star cleaned up the mess and Kid led the goat outside to the fire-escape. He maneuvered out the window and he secured what was left of the Thompson sisters' belts around the goats neck and tied the other end to fire-escape. He brought out a bowl of water and looked up at the sky; the goat probably wouldn't be able to stay out here for long. It looked like there was a storm coming in and something bad and ominous hung in the air. Days were growing shorter and nights were becoming colder. He inhaled the breeze that sent a wave of fall leaves flying into the air. There was a strange stench of magic that clung to the wind and gave him the creeps.

Magic, especially evil magic, had a sort of rancid smell to it. It left your nose burning and your throat raw if you were sensitive to it. Kid looked around but saw nothing unusual, other than the goat trying to chew on his oxfords.

"Quit that." Kid said scolded harshly. The goat took a step back from the edge of the fire escape. Its' knees knocked together and it bleated loudly.

Kid raised his eyebrows, thinking that the goat had some brains after all. If the goat was afraid of a Shinigami it must have some sense of self preservation. He was a death god after all. Usually that didn't include animals reaps but he could make an acceptation. Kid noticed a weird shadow move above him and a couple of feathers floated down. One of the feathers clung to his clothes, it was oddly shaped and rather large. Maybe the goat had noticed something he didn't and that's why it was acting so afraid. Kid rubbed his arms, feeling goose flesh rise as he was overcome with the need to check in on the others. He glanced up at the sky and dismissed it, it was probably just his OCD flaring up again. There was nothing there, just some spoiled garbage in the alley and a mess of pigeons that happened to fly in from Texas.

Kid climbed back through Soul's window just in time to hear Soul bellow. "We're not keeping that goat are we?"

"Oh no, it's Black Stars." Maka assured him. "What's wrong?" she asked, quietly assessing Soul.

"I think I'm getting sick." Soul said wiping the perspiration off his neck. Why was he sweating so damn much?

"I'll make you a cup of hot tea. Oh and by the way, I already got a good start on your laundry." Maka said happily.

Kid returned to the laundry room as if Soul hadn't just tried to throw the whole team out. He seemed exceptionally rude today, and Kid chalked it up to him having a bad day and being sick. He yelled back for Black Star calling the ninja back to laundry duty.

"Black Star, get your ass in here," Kid lectured. "You still have to learn how to fold fitted bed sheets." Black Star looked defeated as he trudged back into the laundry room.

"Maka, is he just tormenting me?" Black Star whined.

"No, he's trying to show you the right way so you can do it yourself." Maka said, watchin Kid calmly remove the apron with the dirty foot print on it. He threw it into the wash with the ingoing load of laundry.

"By the way you guys probably should hang the lighter weight clothes on the clothesline or else we're never going to get it all dry." Maka grabbed a bucket of clothes pins and began to hang things on a retractable clothesline.

Kid gave Black Star another lecture. "When you do laundry it's best to let as many things air dry as you can. That way you can use the dryer for the things that take the hottest heat. Like towels and jeans."

"Okay." Black Star picked up some wet towels and started to shove them in with the jeans in the dryer. Maka and Kid rushed him, yanking the towes out of his hand.

"You can't put that in there." both yelled simotenously.

Black Star blinked at them, shocked, and argued "You said you could put heavy stuff in the dryer."

"Yes, but that will get lint over all the black clothes. You can't put fuzzy things in with black and dark colored things."

Why does laundry have to be so hard?" Black Star whined, with uncharacteristic defeat.

"You wanted to do something nice for Tsubaki. You need to see it through." Kid reminded him.

"Speaking of doing things the right way, good job Kid-kun." Maka began grinning like a maniac. "I'm glad you came along today. It's been good to have you help me teach Black Star. He seems to listen to you better than me."

Kid turned away trying not to let Maka see him blush. Maka was enjoying his company, and the feeling was mutual. Kid gave an amused snort, "Yeah we'll see how long it lasts before he needs a refresher."

Maka clipped a clothes pin and a slip on the laundry line. While she was distracted Kid clipped a clothespin to her tie and Black Star clipped two onto the bottom of her skirt. She retaliated by sticking one into Black Star's hair and a giggly scuffle ensued.

Soul watched from the living room. He was still slightly pissed; he had told them all to leave and but they were still hanging around. He watched Black Star and Kid clip even more clothes pins to Maka, and she stuck one on Kid's cuff and two on Black Stars ears so they dangled down like earrings. Soul shook his head, pushing his anger down. _They're flirting with my Miester, the both of them!_ _What the hell do the two of them think they're doing? I don't go flirting with their partners, and Liz and Tsubaki are smoking hot. _

Kid gave Maka a knowing smile. The laundry was almost done, they just had a load of Soul's stuff left. Secretly Kid was congratulating himself over not beating the crap out of Soul and not freaking out over the dirty footprint on the apron. He watched as Black Star struggled with a fitted sheet and yanked it from the ninja's hands.

"Do it again. It won't lay right in the drawer if you don't have it folded tight enough." Kid corrected.

"God I'm glad you ain't my Miester; talk about an evil dictator." Black Star said, folding the sheet up again.

"You have no idea." Liz said grabbing her nail polish from her pocket. "Maka when you get done with making that snack I want to paint your nails.

"Oh the tea!" Maka said absentmindedly. She moved into the kitchen and began clattering things around.

"Everything okay in there?" Kid called, hearing something sizzle and a loud whistling noise.

Maka yelled back from the kitchen "Just fine it will be just a few more minutes! I can't believe I forgot to make the snacks."

Kid hitched himself up on the dryer and watched Black Star struggle to fold Tsubaki's bra. He wasn't going to even touch that subject, he'd leave it to Maka. Black Star got fed up, decided the bra would make good ear muffs and latched the thing around his head.

Kid snorted in hysterics and nearly fell off the dryer. "That's not meant to be worn that way."

Soul watched with amusement as Black Star clipped another bra over his shirt and began dancing around like an idiot. Somehow, Black Star was always good for a laugh. He did the most random crap some times and even that stick in the mud Kid appreciated Black Star's stupid antics. Everyone was getting along and things felt normal now. Maka padded back into the living room carrying a tray filled with several different plates and a tea service. Instead of the cute little English tea cups she normally used this set had little bowls.. The pot wasn't the normal one, either, it was black and less decorative. She had little skewers full of dumplings that Soul recognized as dango and another larger dumpling he didn't recognize.

Maka sat down at the coffee table and began preparing each of the cups in a strange manner, almost as if she was casting a spell. Each of the cups were turned a specific way and her body was strangely rigid all the sudden. Soul looked up to see Black Star and Kid staring over the couch down at Maka. The Thompson sisters were quietly watching as if mesmerized by Maka's movements. Soul didn't understand it the strange feeling of formality in the air. _This isn't just tea, is it?_

"Like a Japanese princess." Death the Kid spoke in a choked whispered that bore too many of his emotions.

Black Star ripped the bras off and tossed them into a nearby basket. He recognized the formal tradition of his own country and felt strangely awed. _Where had Maka learned to do that? Must have been from her Grandma..._

Both boys sat down on their knees at the coffee table, copying Maka's strangely formal stance.

Patty whispered to Kid over his shoulder. "I'm confused. Should we be sitting on the floor too?"

"Yes both of you go ahead and sit on your knees. Same as Maka is doing but not if it hurts, okay? " Kid said whispered reverently.

"Soul." Maka said, giving him the first cup. Soul leaned over from the recliner and reached out his hand. She placed the cup in his hand as best she could considering he wasn't in the position to receive it correctly.

"I heard that the tea ceremony was a woman's way of showing her way with a sword back in the Samurai era. That's why so many samurais received tea before they went into battle." Black Star whispered.

"I don't think it's quite like that but it's definitely a pretty story." Kid said, trying not to argue, "The tradition started when a Zen priest created the tea ceremony to celebrate the facets of everyday life. So people can experience harmony at a spiritual level." He told Patty and Liz, who just watched in awe.

Kid noticed that Soul didn't reach out his hand so it could be cleansed before receiving the tea. It was obvious he wasn't planning to pass the cup either. It was typical; he never participated in anything of importance.

"Too bad Tsubaki isn't here she would have loved this" Black Star whispered to Kid.

Kid's irritation began to bubble over as he watched Soul. He wouldn't let Soul ruin this moment. Kid bowed formally and held out his own had so it could be cleansed. Maka lifted a bowl and washed his hand then Kid bowed to Black Star. Black Star removed his gloves and lifted them to Maka. She dipped his hands in the water and bowed to Patty who mimicked Kid with eerie precision. Patty bowed to Liz, who got flustered and held out her hands to Maka so they also could be washed.

Blair had come down from her perch to sit at Maka's side to watch as Maka presented the tea. She had wonderment written on her face and she enjoyed watching Maka's graceful arm movements.

Maka presented a cup of to Kid, who sipped it, rotated it slightly and handed it to Black Star. Black Star passed it down and they repeated the process until everyone had a cup in their hands.

Liz couldn't stand it anymore, "This is so cool!" she piped in excitedly and was immediately shushed by Patty, Kid and Black Star.

Soul had had enough. What the hell was with all the hand washing and the cup passing, it was annoying. Why couldn't they just have tea like they normally did with the blue tea kettle. This tea tasted odd like sweet perfume and he just didn't like it. He plopped his empty bowl down next to Maka. "Thank you for the tea" he said in a dissatisfied voice and dragged his ass to bed. He'd talk to Maka in the morning when he felt better, before he said something out of irritation or because he was grouchy and didn't feel good.

Black Star watched Soul leave and bit back a growl. He waited for Maka to finish cleaning the tea bowls and for Kid to inspect them just like he had seen it done in the Samurai movies on TV. Finally he relaxed and everyone else in the room did too. "That idiot." Black Star said, unhappy with his friend. He looked over at Kid and found that Kid didn't look angry with Soul at all. His expression made him look like a bishounen from a manga. Black Star watched the idiot stare at Maka like a flower boy until Maka caught him out of the corner of her eye. Then Kid coughed and looked away.

"I'll try harder next time, and you're right, next time we should definitely have Tsubaki here." Maka smiled sadly.

She handed out the little plates of dango, ichigo daifuku, mochi, and her friends snapped them up quickly.

Black Star glanced at Kid. The guy looked like he was bubbling over with such glee thatBlack Star want to vomit.

"Next time we'll have everyone wear kimonos and obis. You need to make sure to let Black Star or me have some notice though. We need time to educate Soul so that he has the proper manners."

"Did he not do something right?" Liz asked, looking back and forth from Maka to the two guys, who obviously had more understanding of what was going on than she did. She popped a strange pastry in her mouth and found a chocolate covered strawberry hidden inside it. "Maka these strawberry things rock!" she said, reaching for another.

"Soul didn't receive the cup properly and he didn't pass it even though he was given the position of honored guest." Black Star said gathering up laundry baskets full of clothes.

"He sounds sick, he probably just didn't feel like it." Maka defended her weapon. "That and it was stupid of me. I thought since I had most of us here I could try to do it. I guess I just wanted to show off a bit for Patty and Liz." Maka said glumly.

She went back into the kitchen and put the tea set away and pulled out the big blue kettle she normally used. She pulled out one of the he English teacups and a bag of sleepy time tea. She filled cup with boiling water and put it on a tray for Soul.

"You did that for us?" Patty asked staring at Maka intently.

"I figured since you were both westerners you probably hadn't seen a Japanese tea ceremony and you might like it. And you probably haven't had Japanese sweets either so I thought it would be a good chance for you both to try them. After all you did help me carry all that laundry here." Maka explained nervously.

Patty had seen what she wanted, and was the first to jump over the couch and grab hold of Maka. Her sister followed closely with blinding speed. Liz grabbed Maka from the back and Patty from the front and they gave her strong hug.

"Nobody does stuff like that for us." Elizabeth sniffled.

"They don't think we're refined enough to appreciate it." Patty said snuggling her face into Maka's

Liz was sniggling now, something about her sister's words bothered her. Did Patty feel that way too? She squeezed Maka harder pushing Maka under her breast and Patty nuzzled in closer. Liz could feel Patty's vice grip on Maka and she was happy. Patty had a friend, a real friend, not an acquaintance not an ally, not a sister or a brother. A friend. Liz had worried, wondering if her sister would ever have a true friend. Someone she could be close to and share girly things. Someone that didn't have to love her because they were related.

Kid smiled happily watching the girls bond.

"I don't get it, what are they crying over?" Black Star asked looking at Kid for explanation.

"They're happy that they have a friend." Kid said quietly to Black Star.

"But you're they're friend." Black Star said.

"No I'm family." Kid said solemnly.

Liz came back to reality when she heard Kid's words. "Family" that was the right word Kid was family. She had grown so accustomed to his presence she saw him as a brother that needed to be taken care of, a brother with special needs just like her little sister. And like a big sister, she saw a opportunity to lecture. "You'd better not screw this up Kid!" She said with a mouth full of fangs, pointing down to Patty who was still glomping onto Maka.

Kid felt slightly frightened. He felt another set of eyes drilling holes into him.

"Yeah Kid, you better not screw up." Black Star said tugging on his gloves and grabbing a stack of laundry baskets that was taller than he was. The laundry's volume had multiplied by being folded and no longer was in trash bags.

"Don't forget your goat." Kid said dryly.

Black Star gave a loud whistle and the goat burst through Soul's room, ran through the hall and came flying to him. "Come on Menace let's go home and tell Tsubaki about all the good deeds we did today."

Kid just laughed and the goat followed Black Star out the door.

"Can we keep her?" Patty questioned as her fingers strummed on Maka.

"That's up to her," Kid said looking at Maka who was now stroking Patty's hair.

"Not tonight Patty." Liz chortled trying to stop her blubbering and holding onto Kid's arm.

"You can spend the night with us though." Patty said a pleading look into Maka's eyes, "We can watch scary movies and eat popcorn, and Sis can make fried shrimp."

"I can't tonight Patty but I'll make sure we do it one day soon." Maka comforted. "Soul is sick and I want to make sure he's okay."

I can't leave you here alone!" Patty said abruptly, the little girl act falling away. Maka gave Kid a warning look.

Liz broke Patty's hold on Maka and gave her sister a frown, "Maka will come over tomorrow if Soul's all better, right Maka?" she gave Maka the evil eye and Maka gulped.

_You better gulp_ Elizabeth thought, _you're too much like Kid to not be afraid of me_. _I'll sit on your head and give you Indian burns till you weep if you hurt my sister._

"Don't stay here tonight." Patty said calmly. "You're just going to get into another argument, aren't you happy right now? If you spend a night away and come home with us it will all smooth over. If you stay here with him you're going to get sick too... "

"I'll come over tomorrow," Maka smiled, a bit of finality in her voice. "Sometimes you need to argue things out to get anywhere. Besides it's not the first time I've had to baby himand ended up catching the flu."

Patty's eyes filled with sadness. "Okay Maka. Try not to get sick. Oh, by the way, you may want to have someone look at your bathroom. There was a weird light in there and the mirror looks like it cracked."

"What?" Maka asked, worried. She ran to the bathroom leaving Kid, Patty and Liz in the living room.

"How the hell did this happen?" Maka complained looking at the mirror in annoyance. She reached out to touch the glass and the vanity mirror came tumbling down. Patty snaked behind Maka and snapped her out of the way just before it nearly sliced open the side of her neck.

"What the hell happened?" Soul yelled, coming into the bathroom.

Kid was the next to follow, surveying the mess. "Are you okay? You didn't get cut, did you?"

Maka shook her head, startled. "I don't get it. I didn't even touch it - it just leapt off the wall."

"You know this place is falling apart, it probably just shook loose from one of the neighbors beating on the ceiling." Soul explained. A wave of nausea took him and Soul pushed Maka out of the way, jumped over the broken medicine cabinet and began vomiting into the toilet.

"Nasty." Liz cried, "I think it's time for us to leave."

Kid looked over at Maka reluctantly, "Do you want me to help you with the mess first? Are you going to be able to take care of him by yourself?"

Patty pulled Kid away feeling she might just ralph herself. Soul just didn't smell right, he had a rotten egg smell all over him, and no one else seemed to notice the weird lights flickering around him. Patty shook her head vehemently. it wasn't the first time she'd seen lights that no one else had seen. When she was little she was nearly beaten to death by one of her mother's johns. It was Liz who saved her and Liz who had the bad scar on her arm where the man had cut her with a bottle. She still remembered the man's thick German accent and the way he smelled. He always smelled like spoiled garbage. A mixture of rotten cabbage, vinegar and a distinctive odor of sulfur. What Soul was vomiting smelled like that too. Soul had the same strange lights hovering around him as that man did and it made Patty feel uneasy. She tugged on Kid's shirt pulling him away from Maka, and the broken vanity she was trying to clean up.

"Kiddo-kun I don't feel so well can we go home?"

"In a second Patty I don't want Maka to have to carry off this heavy medicine cabinet by herself. Besides I'm not sure we should leave with Soul this sick."

"But the lights are on Soul...Its making my head and eyes hurt."

Kid's head shot up aware. "He knew Patty was uniquely gifted at sensing things, maybe she was some kind of idiot savant that could see the paranormal. Just like her wild shooting always seemed to catch her targets. He searched the room with his own eyes and found it useless. The only way Kid could see what Patty was talking about was when he stepped out of reality, and he certainly wasn't going to do that now, not with Maka here and Soul getting sick. It would seem weird to everyone if he went into reaper mode with Soul vomiting in the toilet. Everyone might get the wrong idea, and think he was causing it."

"Kiddo, tell me you see them too." Patty whispered piling the remains of Maka's broken medicine cabinet into a bag.

"I can't" Kid whispered, "But I did smell magic earlier this evening. I don't doubt what you're telling me but I can't look properly without scaring Maka and Soul."

He let his eyes wander to Soul who was still retching into the toilet. Maka had stopped her cleanup effort to get a cold rag for the back of Souls neck.

"Hey are you okay? Do we need to take you to the hospital?" she asked, feeling his forehead.

Soul coughed hard and shook his head no. He didn't want to go to any damn hospital. It was just the flu, he had been feeling sick all day and it was just setting in now. Maka pushed his hair back off his face and he got sick again. This was totally un-cool, he was making an ass of himself in front of all his friends. He wished Kid and Patty would just go home already. He didn't want them around when he was feeling this bad andhe didn't want to look like a pansy in front of Lord Death's son.

He felt Maka hand touch him tenderly as she wiped the cold cloth across his neck again. It felt good. She shuffled through the contents of the broken medicine chest and reached for a bottle of medicine.

"Soul I think you should take this is Emertrol it will settle your stomach down". Maka grabbed the box and got a large sliver of mirror embedded in her hand. She yanked it out quickly and threw the bloody bit of glass in the trash. She handed the bottle to Soul and he took off the cap and knocked down a swig of it straight from the bottle, it tasted like cherries and made a strange bubbling as it hit his stomach.

Patty watched as the lights flooded away from Soul and began dancing around Maka. As soon as Maka had cut her hand the lights left him and Soul began looking better immediately. Evidently the lights were attracted to blood. It swarmed around Maka's hands, disappearing as it touched her skin.

Soul stopped getting sick and pushed his back toward the tub to rest. He was feeling slightly better. That medicine must have been some magical elixir because he had never had anything work that fast. He huddled himself against the tub. He took the wet rag off his neck and blotted his mouth with it. He pulled out the tooth paste and mouth wash and handed Maka a box of band aids. He gargled out the rest of sick flavor he tasted and spit it into the toilet. He still felt like crap but at least his stomach didn't feel so horrid now, to be honest he was actually a little bit hungry.

"Aniki," Patty voice quivered worried.

Kid squirmed and looked over at her, disturbed. He had sensed the magic end but didn't know what had caused it to stop. God he wished he could just snap into reaper mode right now and look around, but he stayed still, picking up the mess. He watched Maka wrap a bit of gauze on her hand and tape it up with some medical adhesive. She rubbed Soul's back and he stared up at her appreciatively.

Liz came back stomping down the hall angrily."I thought I told you two we were leaving. Sorry for the inconvenience Soul, I hope you feel better."

She grabbed Patty up by the shirt and nudged Kid with her knee. The last thing she wanted was Patty getting sick, Kid would freak out all over the place if Patty was vomiting in the toilet like Soul just was and she already knew who would have to clean up the mess. It certainly wasn't going to be Death the Kid. She thought for a moment. _This is weird, how come Kid isn't going all catatonic over Soul getting sick_? She looked down at Maka who, had a bandage around her hand that was slightly pink with blood and wondered more. _That's even weirder; Kiddo-Kun can't stand to be around blood, he's afraid of sick people and any type of bodily fluid sets him off. Is Kid getting a better control of OCPD?_

"Maka are you sure you don't need extra help tonight?" Kid pleaded.

Liz took a step back, dumbfounded. Kid was offering to take care of sick people, that was rich. Maybe he was just trying to impress Maka, knowing she would tell him no.

"I'll be fine." Maka assured him. "See, Soul's already feeling better and I think once I get him back into bed and get some fluids down him he'll be just fine."

"You know, I'm sitting right here. You don't have to talk about me like I'm five."

Maka patted Soul on the head like she would a spaniel. "See he's doing much better, he's already bitching."

Patty snorted. "If you need anything tomorrow, just let me know. I'll bring you your homework and I can stop at the store if you need anything."

"What, do you think I'm going to miss school over a little puking? I'm sure Soul will be better by tomorrow."

"It's not Soul I'm worried about." Patty mumbled to herself, her brain was trained on the weird lights that seemed to dissipate when it touched Maka. She had a strange feeling that Maka would get sick too. It was almost like a premonition. She pulled Kid up from the floor, where he was organizing the medicine and shoved the trash bag full broken glass cabinet into his hands.

"I guess your right, we ought to get going!" Patty sang happily. She had her friendly mask back in place and skipped to Liz.

"Hey do you want the rest of the Mochi and Dango I made? No sense in them going to waste around here. Liz you said you liked the ichigo daifuku."

"Are you talking about the strawberry thingies? Sure we'll take them home."

"Let me go wrap them up for you" Maka said eagerly, getting up from the bathroom floor and leaving Soul to brush his teeth.

Soul looked at the hole in the wall, annoyed. _How the hell did she manage to knock that thing down?_ You damn near needed to crawl across the sink to even get the stupid medicine cabinet open. He looked out the gaping hole and realized it would be easily fixable, a little ply wood couple a of nails he probably could fasten a make shift medicine cabinet together in an afternoon. Certainly this was coming out of the security deposit though. That is if they still had any security deposit left after the wrecking job he, Black Star and Maka had given the place. Only problem with nice cheap rent was that you got a nice cheap cardboard box of a house to live in.

Soul rubbed at his sore stomach muscles. Maka was right, he would probably be well enough to go to school tomorrow, but he sure wasn't going to miss the chance to skip. Maybe he would be able to convince Maka to skip too, if he acted sick enough. She would probably feel sorry for him and stay home to take care of him. Maka was good about that kind of stuff. Always running around mothering people like a little hen. He heard the front door open and poked his head out of the bathroom to see Liz and Patty trotting out. Kid lingered at the door with Maka. He brushed his fingers through her bangs and whispered something in her ear. Soul felt himself grow furious. _What the hell was he doing! That's Maka! What about Patty and Liz, is he trying to add her to his harem? _Soul felt confused. If Maka was flirting with Kid, where did that leave him? _I'm her partner,_ Soul thought to himself, _she's my roommate and that asshole is going to ruin everything we've developed as a team._ _What if our resonance changes what the hell would happen then?_ Soul shook the scary thought out of his head. No that would never happen, he and Maka were too close to let any guy come between them.

He found his stomach was quaking again but didn't feel the need to get sick. No one should come between a weapon and Miester. _No, that wasn't right. No one could come between him and his Miester_. That sounded better, he reassured himself and watched as Kid slid his hand down Maka's arm. Something inside Soul's brain seemed to snap, and he trotted down the hall to listen in on the conversation. He could feel the sweat break out again and his ears were burning with fever.

Kid hand lingered on Maka a bit too long, "You coming over tomorrow right?"

"Yeah, beside I think Liz might kill me if I don't." Maka giggled.

"Hey, if Soul gets worse you let me know, I'll be right back over here and we can take him to the hospital."

"We can study the Lazarus chapters together tomorrow night, then," Kid smiled at his good fortune. "Patty and Liz don't take their enrollment at the academy seriously, so they never bother to study. It will be nice to have someone to study with for a change."

"Don't you already know all this Lazarus stuff anyway?" Maka laughed.

"Not entirely," Kid admitted. Usually any case dealing with a lazarus event is handled by my father's results of a lazarus pool being discovered by humans have always been catastrophic in nature, so I've never actually seen either a lazarus pool or its effects.

"Well then it's a study date and a sleep over with Liz and Patty." Maka said happily,

_I'd rather it be a sleepover with me_, Kid thought to himself and smirked. "We'll go to the store after school so we can get some stuff for dinner. Uh...you may want to cook though. Liz's shrimp are kind of rubbery. Only Patty likes them." Kid warned and took a step closer.

"Looks like I get to call in that promise to cook for you." Maka said, reaching for a lose strand of her hair. Kid took another step closer and looked at Maka's long neck. Her finger twirled the little wisp of hair that had fallen and suddenly he found the opportunity irresistible. He buried his face in her neck and gave it a little bite that brought a small squeak from Maka. Kid moved in to kiss her on the lips only to feel a door slam against the bridge of his nose. He stepped back, shocked and rubbing his flattened face.

"What the hell do you think you doing?" Soul cried, his anger catching fire. Kid tried to listen at the door but Soul snapped his fist into it, leaving Kid's ears ringing. "Go home Kid!" Soul hollered.

Kid didn't hesitate for a second. He tried the knob but felt the dead bolt lock. Whatever it was that had pissed off Soul would have to wait 'till tomorrow. He realized if he lingered around stalking her door it would just make things worse for Maka and he decided he would go home and call her. Nevertheless he would give Soul a piece of his mind tomorrow. Part of him felt reluctant to leave but Patty called for him.

"Too late now bro, you heard Maka. Sometimes you just need to argue stuff out."

"I'm just worried she won't be okay."

Patty rocked back on her heels. "It's Soul! It's not like he'd do anything to her. He's just jealous of you."

Kid looked at her, confused. "Why would he be jealous of me?"

Liz snorted with laughter her lips pursed in a cat-like grin, "Come on Kid-kun, we'll explain it on the way home."

Kid let his hand brush against the door and heard Maka yell at Soul. He sighed. Hopefully it wouldn't get too nasty.

"What did it look like?" Maka snapped, stomping her foot into the carpet. A desire for battle filled her and she felt the morning's irritation fill her up inside.

"It looked like that idiot was going to kiss you is what it looked like. How the hell can you be that unaware of the atmosphere around you if you can read soul wavelengths?" Soul rasped. His throat was getting sore from the yelling.

"Hello! Earth to shithead! I know exactly what I'm doing." Maka yelled back.

"In our house!" Soul said angrily. His voice came out like a snake's hiss and he coughed deeply his ending in a wheeze. He began having trouble catching his breath.

"Who the hell made you my father?" Maka screeched. She moved in to slap Soul with one of her famous "Maka Chops" but Soul caught her hand.

"Forget it, just forget it," Soul bellowed. He collapsed onto the couch and rubbed his throat." I can't argue with you when I feel like this."

The line worked like a charm. Maka's anger was immediately defused and she hovered over him, worried. "Your throat sounds really awful. Is your stomach still upset? do I need to make you some more tea or would a soda be better?"

Soul felt a smirk play on his lips. Maka was so easy to manipulate it was pathetic. He rubbed his neck and dabbed off the perspiration. He wouldn't have to try hard to look ill, he was still feeling like death worn over, and still breaking out into sweats.

"I'm actually a little hungry can you make me some soup?"Soul whined.

"Coming right up!" Maka answered, scampering off to the kitchen.

It took nearly an hour for her to get done cooking. Meanwhile Soul snacked on popsicles and watched TV. He felt sheepish and slightly guilty for tricking her but Maka came out with her tea tray again and he realized at least they weren't arguing anymore. This time she carried two deep bowls covered with saucers and a tall mug of something that smelled like mint and chamomile. Maka passed Soul his food and sat down in front of the TV exhausted. She raised the lid off the bowel and the steam hit her face. Soul did the same thing and stirred a spoon into the viscous liquid.

"Oi what did you make?" Soul said popping the spoon in his mouth.

"Leek soup. It's Nanna's recipe, it's good for cold and illness." Maka caught a glimpse out the living room window and noticed it was sleeting outside. It crossed with rain and beat against the window leaving little pattering noises all around the house.

Soul was expecting canned chicken noodle but he didn't complain, home cooked was always better than canned and Maka was good at all the little domestic things. He found a couple of potatoes in the thick broth and nibbled on them as Maka flipped off the game show he'd been watching and put on a movie.

"How are you feeling now that you've eaten three popsicles?"

"My throat feels a little better, but I'm still hoarse. I'm probably going to have to go to the doctor." Soul lied.

"Maka looked at him worried. I guess this means I'll have to put off staying with Patty and Liz."

Maka settled in to the movie and watched discontentedly, it was a romance, just great. She wondered briefly about what Kid thought of having the door slammed in his face. She would have to apologize to him tomorrow at school. Maybe she could make him a lunch or something...Tsubaki and Miss Marie had taught her how to make those elaborate Bento boxes and it would be a good peace offering, since she wouldn't be able to cook for Kid and the girls tomorrow.

The phone rang and she picked it up to find Kid on the other end.

"Hey you okay?" He questioned gruffly. Maka eyed Soul and took the phone into the kitchen.

"Yes, I'm sorry about the door. I didn't know he was going to slam it in your face like that, I hope it didn't hurt too much. Maka bent over, looking through the refrigerator to see if she had the ingredients for the bento and noticed it was getting pretty thin inside. She would need to go to the grocery store. She shut the refrigerator door and heard Soul half rasp and half whine,

"Maka..."

"Hey I'm sorry Kid, Soul's feeling worse again. I need to go."

Maka didn't miss Kid's discontented sigh. "Do I need to come help you take him to the hospital?"

"No, he's just whiny and sucking down popsicles. I don't know if I'm going to be able to stay with the girls tomorrow, can you smooth things over to make sure they know I'm not blowing them off."

"I'll fix things with them." Kid explained quietly. He heard Soul call for Maka again and listened to her say goodnight. He hung up the phone reluctantly

Kid looked up at the clock wondering tiredly why he hadn't just grabbed Maka and dragged her home with him. He'd know she was okay if she were here right now. He would even chance showing her his reaper form just to make sure of it. The lights that Patty had explained to him sounded like they might be some sort of Oni. Patty had pointed them out in one of his books and he wondered why such a thing would be lurking around Soul and Maka. Kid looked at the sleet outside, which was it was turning into hail. There was a large crow sitting in his window sill and he thought briefly about an Edgar Allen Poe poem. He felt himself grow cold and he didn't like the bird's eyes on him. He opened the window and swatted at the bird, shooing it away from his bedroom window ledge.

Kid decided worrying would do no good tonight, so he shut his thick black curtains and climbed into bed. He closed his eyes and remembered the kiss Maka had given him earlier and felt himself grow warm. His body stiffened and relaxed and he fell into a deep shroud of sleep.

Maka walked back to the living room and found Soul laying just where she had left him. He coughed and turned onto his side wheezing.

"What do you need now?"

Soul reached out and yanked her down onto the couch. He plopped a pillow in her lap and dropped his head onto it. "I thought we could talk a little. I didn't get to apologize for this morning - I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was joking and it went too far."

Maka noticed Souls head band was missing and she ran her hand through his white hair. "What happened to your head band?"

Soul reached into his pocket and produced the blood-stained head band. "I got a nose bleed and I didn't have any Kleenex. I got it dirty." he complained in a weak voice.

Maka took the sweat band and stared at the amount of blood on it. "That's some nose bleed I'll need to soak this."

Soul kicked at the blanket Maka had covered him with and tried to sit up. He looked at Maka's worried expression and decided to change the subject.

"Hey I'm feeling better now, don't worry so much." Soul rasped.

"Your throat hurts are you sure you want to talk?" Maka didn't tell him she was still irked, she just let him rub his face against the pillow in her lap. He was feeling sick alright. Soul always wanted to be babied and cuddled when he was loaded with germs. Probably contagious germs at that. Mentally Maka cursed Soul's grandma for raising him to be so whiny when he was sick. _Why is it any time a guy gets sick they want pampered but when you get sick they run for the hills like you're carrying the plague? _Maka eyebrow twitched just thinking about it. She was getting a head ache. She looked down at Soul who was kneading the pillow into her lap and fought back the urge to growl.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

Souls face furrowed and he got all serious. "I was thinking about Kid and you saying you were knew he was trying to kiss you. Was that the first time?"

Maka felt a blush crawl up her cheeks. _No that definitely wasn't the first time, _but she wouldn't tell Soul that.

"Do you want some more tea?"

"No I feel like I got an ocean moving around my stomach already. No more liquids." Soul complained.

He dangled his arm off the couch. "You didn't answer my question though; was that the first time, or has he been acting all creepy to you before?"

"He's not acting creepy." Maka felt her blush darken a few shades. _Sure Kid was unique but definitely not creepy._ Somehow Maka wondered if anyone else had ever seen his strong assertive side. He hid it pretty good under all that formality but it was definitely there.

Soul rubbed his forehead, it felt like he was pulling teeth from Maka. She didn't act like she wanted to talk about it and it worried him. What if Kid had been coming on to Maka and she didn't know how to handle his advances. Maka was pretty backward after all, she freaked out over the littlest things, Like Blair transforming and him getting a nose bleed. Little things like that made her uncomfortable so what would a full-on romantic assault from a guy do to her? Soul decided to push the matter; he wasn't going to have some creep hitting on his Miester and making her all uncomfortable. He decided to be blunt and use the direct approach.

"So has he tried to kiss you before? Just answer yes or no."

Soul watched Maka's face turn deep red she looked thoroughly uncomfortable. She squirmed on the couch and Soul put more of his weight on her. Best if she couldn't get up and run away.

"...Yes" Maka stammered reproachfully.

Souls eyebrows knit together, he had expected that. Now for the real questions. "Was he successful? Or did you slap him shitless with a Maka-chop?"

Maka began rubbing her neck and broke out into a sweat. Why did it feel like she was being interrogated by her father? It was just Soul. Stupid lazy Soul who didn't give a shit about anything. He was probably just trying to make conversation and didn't realize he was hitting a raw nerve. She thought back to her first kiss and then her second, for-real kiss and felt all goofy and girly. She wished it were Tsubaki here asking these questions, it would be nice to tell another girl all the details. After all, she and Kid had just made it official today. She felt the maddening need to tell someone and decided maybe Soul was just being considerate and trying to show an interest in this new development in her life.

"Yes, and yes." Maka stammered. She felt bizarre telling Soul; it just felt kind of weird explaining her feelings to a guy. Maka dropped her head and let her bangs mask her face in shadows.

Soul frowned, thinking about what Maka had said. Yes Kid had been successful stealing a kiss and yes she had slapped him stupid for it. That wouldn't have been Maka's fault other than she didn't realize that guys did stupid stuff like that and she was probably completely oblivious about the overall atmosphere same as she was today. Apparently Maka was just too naive to be able to guess what guys were thinking.

"You want me to beat him up?" Soul asked with voice full of gravel.

"As if you could." Maka laughed.

Soul shook his head upset. "It doesn't matter if I'd lose, it's the principal of it. If he stole your first kiss and you didn't want him too then I need to at least try to knock the crap out of him. I always knew he was a creepy little masochist. Who the hell would try for another kiss from you after getting one of your fists in the face? Don't worry about it anymore, I'll take care of him as soon as I'm better."

Maka looked down worriedly, she'd nearly got up and tossed Soul out of her lap. "No, No you got it all wrong." she complained pushing her legs out and stretching them against the living room carpet.

Soul reached up and patted her on the cheek. "I said don't worry about it anymore. He's not going to bother you, no one messes with my Miester and gets away with it, I'll fix him good."

Maka pushed Soul off her abruptly and Soul fell to the floor. "No you don't understand, I didn't mind it! Kid sort of confessed his feelings to me and…we're sort of dating now."

Soul looked up from the floor, angry and confused. "But you said you smacked him."

"I did." Maka said dismally.

"And he asks you out after you clobber him?"

"Well, yes."

"Than it's like I said; he's a creepy little masochist and you need to stay away from him."

Maka looked back at Soul incredulously. "Quit calling him creepy! It would hurt Kid's feelings if he heard you calling him creepy."

Soul shook his head "If he goes around assaulting women than he is a creep, Maka."

Maka ran her hand over her buns and began taking them down. Talking about this to Soul was not a good idea, and she regretted it. She pulled her hair loose and ran her fingers through her pigtails nervously. "He didn't assault me! It was more of a surprise, a very nice unexpected surprise." She rubbed her cheeks with her palms and stood apart from Soul.

Soul gave Maka a sarcastic grin, and stared at her. "An nice, unexpected surprise and your gut reaction was to hit him?"

Maka shook her head angry. "I like him, just leave him alone okay?"

Soul shook his head no. "Maka do you know what a masochist is?"

Maka looked at Soul angrily and stepped over him, "I'm going to bed you should do the same."

"You do know what a masochist is right?" Soul repeated snidely.

"No I don't but considering the way you're using it I would say it's something derogatory about Kid-kun and frankly I don't want to hear it."

"Well too bad 'cause I'm going to tell you anyway: a masochist is person who enjoys getting beat up and punished. It's a sexual deviant Maka."

Maka slammed the door to her bedroom, as Soul started down the hall. "You need to stay away from that guy fighting alongside him is one thing but you shouldn't be getting all worked up because he asked you out."

"Your way to good for a guy like that". Soul whispered to Maka's door.

But the door didn't open and Maka didn't hear it. Soul crossed the hall to his own room but he left his door open.

"I'll see you in the morning." Soul called back to the closed door hoping she'd come out.

Soul flopped down on the bed and stretched, watching the steady stream of rain coming down the window. A loud clap of thunder made him sit up in bed. His body shook and his stomach was rumbling again, he'd had too much to eat and drink. He rubbed his bare stomach with one hand and a thought struck him. _Why do I care that Maka got kissed? It's not like she'd my girlfriend or anything. _ Souls mind began going over the details, she had been kissed by another Miester, probably that night she came home all goofy from her dad's. It was a perfectly reasonable explanation of why she had acted so weird that night. That wasn't so much of a big deal, it just didn't sit well with him. Death the Kid was screwing the dynamics of the group. He had intentionally made a pass at Soul's miester, and Maka's gut response was to lose her top and knock him senseless. Either way it goes he would need to have a talk with Death the Kid.

He rolled on his side and immediately felt worse. The temperature of the room felt like it had gone up ten degrees. _Why the hell am I so angry? _He chalked it up to feeling sick and Maka having shitty timing. _It's nothing_ he thought to himself. Throwing off the covers except for the sheets off his body. He lay there sweating again, burning hot with fever. _I'll take the day off school tomorrow for sure. With any luck Maka will too._

He slashed at the sheet, pulling it off him and knocking his pillow to the floor. His mind just wouldn't settle down and his coughing lit up his rib cage with pain. He sat up, trying to catch his breath and couldn't. His nose began bleeding again and wiped it on the sheet since it was closer than the tissue box. Maka opened her door sleepily; evidently she had been out for a while. She came in to Soul's room and flopped down on his mattress feeling his head with her cold palm.

"You're burning up, I'm getting the thermometer." Maka went into the bathroom and cursed, looking for thermometer in box of contents from the broken medicine cabinet. She finally found it and brought it to Soul, along with a disposable cold compress that she slapped on the back of his neck. Maka scooted Soul over and shoved the thermometer into his mouth. She flicked on the light and it dazzled his eyes. Maka's bedside manner was slightly lacking tonight. Soul looked out the window as the thermometer beeped his temperature. The sun was already starting to rise and he hadn't slept a total of five minutes. Instead he had watched the rain and coughed most of the night. Maka looked down at the thermometer shocked. It's over a hundred we should take you to the hospital."

Soul hunched his aching body over. "No hospital please."

"We need to get you cooled off. I don't think the compress is going to be enough." Maka helped Soul up and noticed the blood on the sheets. It was that weird black blood again, and a greenish mucus was mixed with it. She looked closer and saw that they were smeared with green sweat, like he'd dumped lime punch all over the place. Soul staggered a bit and made his way into the shadowy bathroom.

"Something's wrong Soul. Look, you're sweating green."

"It's probably just the black blood, god knows what that shit can do to you."

"I'm calling Crona, I want to see if Crona has ever had green sweats from getting sick."

"Just help me get into the shower damn it." Soul felt miserable and he stared at the break in the tile as he climbed in the bathtub.

Soul turned on the cold water to the shower and let it pour down on his head. It felt like ice and he shivered all over. He was rattled; he had been sick before and never had green sweat. What was different this time?

"We should go to the hospital," Maka repeated, worried.

"What is that going to accomplish? Normal hospitals don't know how to deal with witch spells and black blood. Don't treat me like a invalid"

Soul turned off the water, and pushed the thermometer back in his mouth. It felt like the black blood was at war with whatever was inside him. It was painful; his blood boiled and he watched more of the green sweat flowing out of his clothes and down the drain.

Souls voice rang off the tile bathroom, "Maka quit fluttering around scared, I'm fine." He knew he'd get better, the blood was fighting too hard and he heard Little Ogre's voice ring in his ear.

_"We'll be fine, we're not going to die. You might feel like shit but its working through your system." _

_"What's this we shit? Can't you feel the pain too, you're part of the black blood?"_

_"Nope I'm just fine. You're going to be pissing green for the next day or two, and you may wish you were dead while the blood fights off the foreign contaminates. But I'm just peachy. No need to worry about me. Of course if the pain gets too much for you, I could always come out for a while and help relieve you of it." _

"Fantastic," Soul muttered. He ignored Little Ogre's suggestion and lay down in the wet tub.

Soul popped the thermometer back out of his mouth. It read 98.6, the cold shower had worked.

Maka carried some pajamas into the bathroom and laid them down on the toilet seat. "Crona said that he's never had green sweats before. Even when the black blood was at its worst." She pulled a towel out and handed it to Soul.

What was Soul going to say? _Oh Maka, I'm just fine. The little ogre says I'll piss green and feel like crap but the black blood can fight off anything_. He didn't feel like that was the right answer and settled for, "I'm feeling better, look my temperature is back to normal."

"You said you were feeling better last night and now your sheets are covered with blood and green stuff."

Maka twisted her feet nervously and she couldn't look at him for some reason. Maybe she felt guilty for yelling at him last night.

Soul shuffled Maka out of the bathroom so he could change and squeezed her arms to reassure her. "I'm getting better. Let me get dressed and we can both go back to bed." Soul took a deep breath and recovered himself. He didn't feel sick anymore, just tired. Light began to pour through the apartment windows as the sun emerged over the eastern horizon.

Maka's brow furrowed but she didn't argue. She opened her mouth to say something and Soul raised a hand to her lips. "Just go get back in bed. Soon as I'm done I'll do the same."

Maka stripped the sheets and blankets from Soul's bed and replaced them with clean ones. Soul laid back down on the fresh blankets and Maka sat down beside him. She tried to cover him up but he stopped her, still feeling too hot. In some amount of discomfort he managed to fall asleep. When he awoke, it was five minutes to noon and Maka was coughing. He heard her stumble to the bathroom and heard a series of gagging noises. Soul ran in and saw Maka sprawled out on the tile.

"Looks like you got it too" he groaned, sliding down the wall.

Maka wiped at her mouth, "I thought it was just the black blood but it looks like you were right: it's some kind of bug and I think I got it too."

"Green sweats?" Soul questioned sleepily and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"No blood and slime for me but my stomach is killing me." Soul left and pushed the bathroom door, giving Maka some privacy. He heard her get sick again and lay down in bed. A large crow was looking at him from the fire escape. It twitched its head back and forth and pecked against the window.

Blair bolted awake in her cat bad. Soul smiled happily and opened the window, knowing what she was getting ready to do. The crow sat there staring at him and Soul watched patiently. It took Blair less than a two seconds to pounce on the bird and chase it down the fire escape. Soul yawned tiredly and crawled back into bed. He wondered sleepily how long the two of them would stay sick and what everyone else was doing. It seemed like a beatiful day; too bad the two of them were going to spend it tied to the bathroom.


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Notes**: Sorry for the length of this I haven't found a way to renumber chapter here on ffnet. This is a 75 page document that should have been broken into more than one Chapter It was rewritten and posted Monday April 4. 2011 Don't worry it still matches up to seven. But I'm tackling Chapter 7 next!.

**Chapter 6: Braking Lose**

* * *

Tsubaki looked at the sun setting through the widow. She had a large cup of cappuccino and was flipping through a magazine. _This is wonderful_ she thought to herself. The house actually looked straightened, all the dirty laundry was gone, and it was quiet. Someone had even sprayed air freshener and cleaned off the coffee table. The garbage had been taken out and some of the weeds in the front lawn were gone. Tsubaki stretched her bare feet out in front of her sand slurped the foam off the cappuccino. _This must be what heaven feels like_.

Her fingers dangled and twisted through the steam of the coffee. "Wonder where Black Star is?" Tsubaki said to the lonely house.

She had the quiet time she needed today. Her rejuvenation was complete and now she was in the mood for some fun. She flicked on the TV and flipped through the channels. Oh! M_idnight in the Garden on the Bayou was on. Tsubaki was a good hour into the movie before Black Star came through the door, straining to carry eight laundry baskets._

He had to squat to get through the door with all the laundry baskets and his fingers turned red when he released the heavy load.

"Black Star!" Tsubaki called out in shock and bolted from the couch to help with the baskets before the leaning tower toppled on the floor. "What in the world have you been doing?"

"I wanted to say I was sorry for getting us thrown out of the Laundromat." Black Star apologized rather reluctantly, "I hope you're happy because I had to spend the whole afternoon with Kid and Maka telling me I didn't know how to fold sheets right."

"So they did the laundry?" Tsubaki sounded a little too hopeful in Black Star's opinion

"No, they made me learn how." Black Star said, sitting down on the floor next to the baskets.

"Oh, by the way we got a new pet." he added as the goat trotted into the house.

"What is it with goats today?" Tsubaki wondered, watching the goat make itself comfortable in between Black Stars legs.

"Stein said you gave him the idea to turn the thing into a zombie so I stole him. And then I had to do laundry" Black Star explained. He spread his arms wide and yawned falling back on the floor.

"What does the goat have to do with all laundry?" Tsubaki asked, confused.

Black Star began rubbing his head in embarrassment. "Oh nothing. He just sort of got in the way. Maka said you can use her washer from now on since you got kicked out of the laundromat."

"I got kicked out?" Tsubaki said defiantly "I seem to recall you getting us kicked out."

"Quit splitting hairs. Oh, Maka did this cool Japanese tea ceremony today."

Tsubaki happily looking over the baskets of clothes, and began to speak "Really? I'm sorry I missed it.".

"She said we'd do it again with you there. I think Kid is going to make everyone dress up next time, though"

"So I am to understand Death the Kid taught you how to do laundry?" Tsubaki giggled.

"Yeah, and you have no clue how bad that was." Black Star groaned. "'Start this Black Star, Fold this Black Star'. I thought he and Maka were going to kill me for throwing a towel in with the dark colored clothes. You talk about anal...holy crap those two are horrible together. They become a complete pain in the ass."

"I made dinner. Your plate's in the refrigerator." Tsubaki soothed.

"Oh! And Kid and Maka are dating." Black Star added nonchalantly, poking his head into the refrigerator. Tsubaki looked up startled, "How is Soul taking it?"

"Like an ass, what would you expect? I still don't understand what the hell's going on in his head. I get he's pissed off about the whole Kid and Maka thing, but he's being a jerk about it. You know that tea ceremony I told you about? Soul just downed his cup, plopped it down and left the room."

"How rude!" Tsubaki exclaimed, "Did Maka take it badly?"

"Nah, she just brushed it off. Kid, on the other hand, was looking for blood. He's going way overboard with the overprotective boyfriend thing." Black Star pulled his dinner from the microwave.

"That would be something to see," Tsubaki said going back to her own dinner, which was now half cold, "I can't imagine Kid being anyone's boyfriend. I'm not saying he's a bad person or anything, it just seems like…"

"Like he's an evil neurotic mutant from another planet who's obsessed with cleaning and controlling things?" Black Star contributed, trying to figure out what Tsubaki was watching on TV.

"Well when you put it that way, Kid is a little different. I always thought he might end up with Patty or Liz though." Tsubaki said, her eyes drilling back into the TV, "I remember this part from the book! Oh, I forgot to tell you, we're going on a field trip to a lazarus pool. Dr. Stein is going to tell us more about it in class tomorrow, and I took good notes for you today so you can catch up."

Black Star grunted. "Wonder if Stein will let me go since I stole his goat?"

Tsubaki giggled, "I think he'll make you go just so he can find some weird way of torturing you. He said he was planning to use you and Soul for lab rats. Today was really weird though, his whole lecture was on raising the dead."

Black Star was now engrossed in Tsubaki's movie. "Why is she going out into the swamp in a nightgown after hearing a loud noise outside?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his knees.

"If I tell you it will ruin the story" Tsubaki sighed heavily, "It so romantic."

"Trudging through a nasty swamp in your night gown is romantic?" Black Star inquired feeling confused.

"No, you see the voodoo witch doctor is calling her but Roberto is going after her to save her."

"Have you seen this before, I thought Liz said it was new?" Black Star growled uncomfortably. Chick flicks were not his cup of tea. Give him a good action or kung fu movie and he was in hog heaven but this, this made no sense. "Why do girls watch this stuff?"

"Maybe because we actually read the books and want to make sure the movie doesn't trash the story."

"In real life that voodoo guy would have devoured that pretty boy's soul and an alligator would have eaten that chick while she ran through the swamp half naked."

"But it's not real life; it's based on a romance novel. It's supposed to be fun and not too serious."

"I'll never understand girls." Black Star snorted and picked up the empty plates. "I'm going to bed, don't worry about the laundry well figure out whose stuff is whose tomorrow."

"Good night Black Star" Tsubaki called out and curled up into the couch to finish watching her movie. "I'll go over to Maka's tomorrow and thank her for helping with the laundry". _I'll need to thank Kid-kun too, she thought as she drifted to sleep in front of the TV._

The sense that someone was sneaking through the house woke Tsubaki the next morning. She opened her eyes wide and looked around worriedly; she had fallen asleep on the couch and it took her a minute to recognize her own living room. Black Star peered over the couch with a dog leash in hand and she looked up at him.

Tsubaki tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes and noticed the leather spiked collar and the black zip leash. "What's that for?"

"I got up this morning and went to the pet store. Cool huh? It's for Menace. I thought I'd take him on my morning jog."

Tsubaki sat up amused. "He'll never be able to keep up with you at the speed you run."

"I need to walk the goat though. I haven't patched up the hole in the gate yet so I'm afraid to let it out in the backyard." Black Star blubbered sheepishly

Tsubaki smiled, "Why don't you patch up the gate now, and I'll walk Menace for you. You might have to miss your jog this morning but we'll make up for it by training or taking a mission after school today."

This perked Black Star up considerably. "That sounds great we haven't been on a mission for..." Black Star began counting the days on his fingers, "…Well we haven't had one for over two weeks at least."

Tsubaki nodded her head. Not only was the laundry done but now Black Star was going to do some yard work. This was going to be a wonderful day.

She walked back to the bedroom and Black Star poured himself a bowl of honey coated cereal.

"I'll walk the goat, and I'll go thank Maka for letting us use her washer. I expect that you can fix the fence by yourself." Tsubaki called.

"Of course!" Black Star snorted chomping on a huge bite of cereal. He tossed a handful of it on the floor and the goat lapped the sugar coated wheat puffs up vigorously.

Tsubaki came in wearing her running sweats and dropped the spiked collar around Menace's neck. She hooked the little zippy leash and started for the door. The goat sat on the floor, refusing to budge. Tsubaki gave the leash a good tug and Menace pulled back away from her, bucking and slapping himself against the cabinets. "Come on Menace lets go bye bye." Tsubaki cooed in baby talk.

The goat looked at her with its head cocked to the side and smacked its lips at her, baring its teeth.

"Come on you stupid goat! Move already!" Tsubaki pulled the leash harder and the goat slid across the linoleum, trying to get free and bleating loudly.

Black Star picked Menace up and stroked him before putting him into Tsubaki's arms. Menace immediately bit her.

"Ouch, that hurts!" Tsubaki cried.

Black Star grabbed the goat by the beard and looked it the eye. "That's bad, no bite! You go with Tsubaki now and go have a nice walk, and get your business done."

The goat leapt from Tsubaki's arms to floor and trotted to the door just as Black Star told him too.

"I guess he just needs more time to get to know me before he listens to me." Tsubaki complained rubbing her sore hand.

"I'm sure that's what it is." Maybe you're just not using the right voice with him. You know, animals will push you around if they think they can get away with it. You're just so nice that Menace thinks he can take advantage of you. You got to show him who the master is."

Tsubaki nodded her head, and followed the goat out the door."I won't be gone long. Try to save me some hot water so I can take a shower before school. "

Tsubaki set out to Maka and Soul's apartment complex with Menace leading the way and if he already knew where he was going. Tsubaki snapped the leash at a grassy patch and let the goat wander around a bit. There were lots of crows out in the abandoned lot and they sat around on nearly every fence, wire and tree. They watched her, cawing away each other and flapping their wings in the air.

"Go Potty Menace, certainly you've got to go potty." Tsubaki coaxed. She tried her hardest to keep the frustration out of her voice and use a neutral tone. The goat dug its hoof in the dirt and stared at her with its large black eyes.

"Come on Menace go potty already." Tsubaki insisted. She noticed that the birds were all staring at them and it made her feel weird. But heck, she would probably stare at someone trying to walk a goat like a dog too.

Tsubaki shuddered and rubbed the sleeves of her mauve athletic sweats. Last night's rain had left a chill in the air, something uncommon for this time of year. Then again, her dad had said that the way the leaves were turning so early meant that they would have unseasonably cold weather this winter. He had been up to visit with her just a couple of weeks before and had enjoyed seeing Death City. The two of them had walked around Las Vegas visiting the different shows and shops. Spirit was nice enough to take her father back down to enjoy a bit of the night life, too. Her father had the whole Nevada experience as far as she was concerned.

Tsubaki looked back to the goat and noticed it was trying to scare the crows off. A mess of them had landed in the empty lot and the goat ran around chasing them instead of doing its business. She locked the leash to stop the goat from running around and gave it a good tug.

"No Menace we're not here to play you need to go potty." She said, trying to sound authoritative.

Menace bolted and charged at Tsubaki. He lowered his horns and plowed into her, knocking her to the ground. Tsubaki dropped the leash and heard the crows squawking; it sounded like they were laughing at her.

The goat squatted right next to her, did its business and sprinted off. Tsubaki got up and ran after the goat and its' trailing leash.

Damn it, she was a ninja and came from a proud line of Japanese warriors. She wasn't going to let a stupid goat make an ass of her. Tsubaki ran faster but the leash remained just out of reach. At least the goat was running the right direction. Menace made a quick turn and started running straight for Maka and Soul's apartment building. Tsubaki leapt gracefully and trapped the goat between her leg and the glass entrance door just as a woman opened it. The goat bowled the woman over and ran as fast as it could inside the building. Tsubaki stopped to help the woman up her face flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry about that," She gasped with her hands cupped in prayer above her head.

The woman stared at her in astonishment and tossed her fingers through her short blond hair, freeing it of debris it might have picked up from the carpet.

"Why on earth are you chasing a goat through a busy street and into an apartment building?"

Tsubaki bowed her head before the woman in embarrassment then remembered that people didn't bow in America, and stood up straight. The woman didn't seem to notice her odd behavior, just puckered up her lips in annoyance and began dusting off her blue suit.

"Kisama!" She cursed under her breath. Tsubaki started in surprise, realizing that the woman was also foreigner, despite her green eyes and blond hair.

"Sumimasen." Tsubaki apologized in her own tongue.

The woman nodded, disapproving but accepting the apology. She got back up to her feet and repositioned herself on her tall black heels. Menace cowered before her and the woman snapped up his leash and handed it to Tsubaki.

"Be more careful from now on," the woman scolded in English, "Barnyard animals have no business in the city."

Tsubaki took the leash back thankfully and made her way to the elevator just as a white haired women stormed out.

"Do you think you can steal from me? He was mine first." She screeched at the blond woman in a distinctive French accent.

The short blond hair woman laughed smugly. "I seem to remember there was another woman before you came around or did you forget about that whore from Brooklyn that still hangs on him?"

"You hussy!" The French woman screamed, stomping her silver tipped boot on the ground.

The elevator door closed and Tsubaki sighed in relief. Cat fights were not her thing and she didn't like women that cheated with other women's husbands. She considered herself above those practices and didn't agree with it one bit.

The elevator stopped and she got out and headed down the hallway. Tsubaki knocked on the door and waited. After a while the door opened and Maka stumbled into the hall. She slid down the outside of the apartment wall and looked up at Tsubaki.

Tsubaki gaped at her. "Jeeze, what happened? You look like death warmed over!"

"It's Soul," Maka yawned, "He's been sick all night and had…things coming out of him." Maka shuddered and decided not to tell Tsubaki exactly _what_ had come out of Soul. It was just too gross and she didn't know if Tsubaki eaten breakfast yet.

"Well, anyway Soul is really sick." Maka wiped at her sweaty neck, "It's a good thing you knocked. I probably wouldn't have woken up if you didn't."

Tsubaki looked down and saw that Menace had sidled up to Maka and was lapping her face. Maka tried to push the goat away, but Menace lay down in her lap, intent on giving her a bath with his long pink tongue. Tsubaki tried to pull the goat away but the Menace butted her a few times till she was on the other side of the hallway.

"Huh. It seems to like you. That goat has been absolutely awful this morning. He won't let me do a thing with him and he bowled over one of your neighbors in the hall.

Maka snickered a bit and gave Tsubaki a wry grin. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"No, I don't want to impose. I just wanted to thank you for the help with the laundry. I couldn't believe you and Kid got all that done."

Maka smiled, "Yeah, Black Star tried hard and Kid was a real slave driver. I think Black Star actually might have learned something for a change."

Maka opened the door to the apartment and motioned Menace and Tsubaki inside. "You might not want coffee but I do. I don't know how I'm going to stay awake without it." She coughed a few times and hunkered over trying to catch her breath.

"You know maybe you should stay home today too. It's just a suggestion; you look like you might have caught something." Tsubaki offered.

"Stupid Soul." Maka muttered, looking for a mug and the instant coffee. She wasn't going to take the time to make the real thing; she needed caffeine now.

She swished some hot water into the mug, dumped two big teaspoons of the crystals in and drank it down straight. It burned going down, but the warmth freed up some of her congestion. It felt great until it hit her stomach and began to churn around. Maka grabbed her belly and slunk into a chair.

"Maka are you okay?" Tsubaki worried.

Menace licked Maka's face again as she clutched her stomach. The goat seemed nervous and to think that kisses would make her feel better, but it didn't. Blair stomped into the kitchen in human form, her high heeled boots clicking against the linoleum.

"Maka you want me to make you some tuna? It always makes me feel better when I'm sick."

Maka grimaced. "No thanks Blair. Besides, it's your day off. Weren't you planning on going out?"

"Well yeah, but considering the shape you and Soul are in I thought I'd stay home."

"No no, go ahead and go out. I think Soul will rest better if the house is empty and he can just sleep."

Blair flicked her tail around anxiously and Maka noticed she hadn't bothered to transform entirely. Blair saw Maka looking at it and made it disappear. "Last chance! Are you sure you don't want my charbroiled tuna surprise? I'm going to be shopping with the girls from Chubacabras all day; it might be the last time you get to eat."

Maka shook her head no and reached down to pet the goat. Menace bit at her hand.

"Meoooow " Blair cried angrily swatting at the goat with a magazine. The goat butted her and Blair began backing up to the door.

"Stupid goat! What's with you!"

Tsubaki looked up amused. "Glad to see it's not just me he hates."

"Pum, pum, pumpkin" Blair cried, shooting her canon spell at the goat. The goat dodged it grabbed her curly boots and began shaking the tip of it back and forth madly. Luckily for Blair her toes didn't meet the end of her footwear or she would be missing a few.

"Oh I'm sorry." Tsubaki cried pulling on the goat's leash. "I probably should go. I can't seem to do anything with Menace and maybe if I'm lucky I can still convince Black Star the right thing to do is take it back to Dr. Stein."

"Stein will just kill it. You know that, right?" Maka reminded her as another fit off coughing threatened to topple her over. "I think I'm going to take your advice, Tsubaki. I'm going to stay home today. That way I can keep an eye on Soul and get some rest before this gets worse."

Tsubaki got up from the table and began heading toward the door with Blair. Blair smacked the goat in the nose with her glove and the goat immediately retaliated with a head butt to Blair's rear. "You get some rest Maka. You want me to bring your books and stuff home from school?"

"No, Patty offered to bring them by." Maka answered automatically. _Wait, how did Patty know I was going to get sick? _Maka thought to herself.

Tsubaki smiled at her and left with Blair and Maka fell onto the couch. "I can't believe I'm missing school!" she griped.

She grabbed one of the throw pillows off the couch and screamed in it. "Why did I have to get sick? Just proves no good deed goes unpunished. "

Maka flipped back off the couch and padded into her room. At least she could get a start on some of her long term homework. She knew she had an essay coming up and she could review with the books she had home. She grabbed her books from her backpack and set into them but found she couldn't concentrate. The churning in her stomach was worse and she barely made it to the bathroom before she got sick.

"Oi! Can you keep it down in there? I'm trying to sleep." Soul shot out, annoyed.

Maka looked up from the toilet irritated. It was bad enough she couldn't even hold her coffee down but now Soul was in that half-asleep bitching mode he went into when he was really tired. She heaved up the last of her pseudo breakfast and flopped back into bed.

The clock read twelve o' clock definitely too late to make it to school and she cursed to herself again. She hated staying home from school; every day she missed gave Ox a chance to catch up or get ahead of her and she couldn't stand the thought of that happening. Wasn't the class going to talk about where they were going to go on the field trip today? She glowered at the clock until her eyes began to blur and she nodded off.

Maka felt herself falling even though on some level she knew she was asleep on her bed. She couldn't help but fall prey to the dream. It was a recurring one that she had often. She had mailed a letter to her mother, and sat at the postbox waiting for a response. She would wait and wait and no response ever came. Finally she would see the post man and start chasing her down the street.

This time Soul was in the dream and he quickly changed into the wing scythe to allow her to fly after the postman. When she reached the postman she grabbed the woman's shoulder and turned her around to question her about the mail and why the postman didn't bother to deliver anything from her mother. Maka stared into the postman's face and realized it was her mother. She jumped back alarmed and the woman briskly shook her off.

In an acid tone she cried, "Sorry dear, no mail for you."

At that moment the phone rang, Maka ran to a pay phone on the street and tried to answer it but it just kept ringing. Maka woke up to find the phone was actually ringing in real life.

Soul groaned from his bedroom. "Maka will you get that..."

Maka rolled over, picked up her pink hello kitty cordless phone and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

She could hear Kid's voice on the other line "Oh jeeze, did I wake you Maka? I'm sorry, but I'm worried about you. You weren't at school today and. Tsubaki said you were sick this morning."

Maka heard scuffling and Kid yelled something, then Patty picked up the receiver. Maka could still hear Kid barking at her and trying to take the receiver back, but somehow Patty managed to hold on to it. "How you feeling? You think you can keep some soup down?"

"Soup?" Maka said wearily, not understanding the words. She laid her hand on her head and noticed she was soaked in sweat. She tried to wipe her face off with her pajama sleeve but even her limbs hurt to move. There was a rushing noise and the sound of a clock ticking that sounded louder than the phone.

"Maka are you okay?" Patty asked louder.

Maka wanted to say _I'm sick, not deaf _but she couldn't get the words out. She had a wave of coughing and the clock noises seemed to get louder.

There was another scuffling noise and then Kid was on the receiver, again. "We're coming over; stay put."

The sound of the clock became louder. It was almost ringing in her ears now. She couldn't make out Kid's last statement. She hung up the phone when it started making the funny dial tone she hated and flopped on her side in bed. In the back of her mind she wondered what Kid had meant. Weren't they all in school, wasn't that where she should be? She felt her eyes blur again and she tried to make out the burning red numbers on the digital clock.

It wasn't long before she heard a pounding at the door. It pulled her back out of her stupor and she nearly jumped right out of the bed in fright.

Soul stumbled down the hall cussing ever few steps. He popped his head into Maka's room and looked in. "Hey good news, I'm not puking anymore. Unfortunately it's coming out the other end now."

"Too much information," Maka yelled hoarsely she tried tossing a pillow at him it missed by a mile and slapped into her bookshelf instead. "Will you get the door already?"

Soul raised his eyebrow "Jeeze aren't we bitchy? That time of the month?"

Maka didn't even honor that with a response. _Why is it when a woman doesn't feel well it's always 'that time of the month'? _God damn it she had the same sickness he had, and Soul had given it to her_. _She covered her head up with her other pillow giving Soul the clue she didn't want to talk.

He complained all the way down the hall about how he was sick and he didn't understand why they were having company over in the first place. Soul unlatched the dead bolt as a second wave of beating pounded on the door.

The doorknob twisted in his hand so quickly that it almost burned him. He stared at Kid in the hallway but it was Patty who pushed him out of the way and came in uninvited. "Maka we're here! We brought you some soup and some cough medicine."

Soul huffed angrily as Kid pushed past him too. "You're missing one of your harem."

Kid turned around, looking confused."Harem? Oh you mean Liz. Yeah, well she didn't want to catch what the two of you have."

"Well maybe you and Patty ought to follow her good example. It is pretty nasty after all." Soul snuffled long and loud and a wet squishing noise filled the apartment. He swallowed hard and he watched as Kid took a step back and went pale.

"Yes well, I wanted to check on you both, and I was particularly worried about Maka."

"Well isn't that sweet of you." Soul answered his voice was dripping with sarcasm. He picked up an empty pop can from the night before and spit in it. He watched Kid flinch and rock back on his heels. He was actually trembling. _It appears the reaper's son is a little bit of a germ-o-phobe_. Soul thought amused.

"Maka told me what you did. I don't appreciate you hitting on my Miester."

"Kid get in here quick!" Patty screeched from down the hallway.

Without a second thought Kid bolted through the apartment, ignoring Soul. Patty had Maka under the arms and was already half way down the hall. "Something's wrong, she's ticking...I can hear it in her."

"What do you mean she's ticking Patty?" Kid questioned. He tried to look through Maka to feel and hear whatever it was that Patty saw but he experienced the same inability to see. It dawned on him then what it was Patty could be hearing.

Kid laid a hand on Maka's forehead and noticed she was burning up with fever. "Bloody crows! We need to get her to the hospital."

"No time!" Patty shot back, worried. She began carrying Maka into the bathroom but it was hard for a girl her size to move Maka around and she nearly banged Maka's head on the door entrance.

Kid winced as she barely missed the doorway. He lifted Maka's head up to prevent Patty from smacking her head against the sink.

Soul stared at Patty, annoyed. He knew Patty was a crazy one; nice, but not all there. He really just wasn't in the mood to put up with company today. He could deal with having a one on one with Kid but frankly he didn't see the need to have Patty around. Patty pushed into the bathroom and tripped over the box of medicine sitting on the floor. She and Maka tumbled to the floor. Patty landed the hardest but Maka's head banged on the side of the tub.

Maka looked up and began coughing again. She spit up clear fluid on the checkered tile and touched where her head hit.

"Oh god! Oh god! I'm sorry Maka." Patty whimpered. She jumped up ignoring her newly bloodied elbow and bent over her friend.

"It's okay. Just running a fever. I'll get over it." Maka mumbled groggily

Then Kid heard it, the sound of a clock echoing softy. It's seconds ticked by slowly. He looked back to Soul to see if he heard it.

Patty began panicking. "Oh no, there it is again."

Kid made a split second decision._ I won't tell anyone. No one will notice if I help her just this once._ _She's my girlfriend and being the son of Death has certain benefits. _

He scanned the room letting his eyes relax and didn't notice any Oni. He grabbed Maka by the arm. "Help me get her into the tub, Patty."

Patty stepped in the tub and heaved Maka up by her arms. Kid grabbed her legs and they sat her down into the tub. Kid turned on the cold water.

Soul who had been standing there uselessly held out the thermometer to Kid. "Here use this."

Kid turned on the cold water and Patty snatched the thermometer from Soul and put it in Maka's mouth.

"It's okay Maka, we're here now. Good thing we came right over." Kid soothed, propping Maka up in the tub.

Patty narrowed her eyes at Soul. "Yeah because if we hadn't come over no one would have even noticed you were burning up with fever."

Soul gulped, seeing something dark flash across the youngest Thompson sister's face. It was hard and scary, almost malicious.

Kid turned Patty face to him by grabbing her cheeks."Concentrate on Maka and watching for the lights."

Patty looked around the room her eyes catching a small globe of violet and another of green floating near Maka's chest. "There here Kid, two of them."

Kids eyes darted along Maka's body alarmed, the ticking was growing louder. He needed to do something. As he relaxed his vision he could see the traces of light Patty was talking about. Two of the Oni sat on Maka's chest. Pulsing in and out of her skin throbbing so dim he barely could see them, but Patty was right they were there.

Soul leaned up against the door and watched with a cool expression on his face. As far as he could tell Kid and Patty were making a big deal out of nothing, and Patty was talking insane yet again. He would have checked in on Maka. He had just looked in on her before he answered the door. He watched the tub fill up and Maka began convulsing in the water. Patty kicked off her boots and jumped in the tub, making sure Maka wouldn't go under the water. Maka's eyes were open but she seemed pretty out of it. Soul doubted that she would remember much of this tomorrow.

Patty spoke softly to Maka, telling her to relax and that she would only need to be in the cold water a little while longer. Kid held her wrist counting in his head and watched his wrist watch.

"One hundred and one; her pulse is too high. Soul go call an ambulance."

Soul heard the thermometer beep and pulled it out of Maka's mouth. "A hundred and four. Is that bad?"

"Just go call the God damn ambulance Soul!" Patty yelled. Her teeth looked pointed and sinister and her eyes drilled holes into him.

"She isn't going to want to go to the hospital. I'm telling you, she's my partner and I know her best."

Patty stood up in the tub and grabbed Soul by the night shirt. "You go call the ambulance or you're going to be the one that needs one."

Soul backed off, afraid, and stumbled out of the bathroom. Goofy Patty had just turned into a demon before his eyes, and he had never seen her act that way before. Kid could hear him scrambling down the hall and snorted, he had seen Patty switch a thousand times over, and he was use to the way her mind worked.

Patty dropped a towel in the tub rung and draped it over Maka's shoulders.

"I don't get it! You called an ambulance for me when I caught measles and they were just some dumb red spots."

Kid smiled lightly. "Every partnership is different. Soul and Maka have their own way of being close. Soul may be right; Maka might not want to go to the hospital. Who are we to judge? He's just doing what he thinks is right. You see any lights yet"

"Not a one." Patty said looking over every corner in the room.

"How out of it do you think she is?"

Patty held up three fingers in front of Maka's face. "Maka how many fingers am I holding up?"

Maka didn't answer though, she just shivered and huddled her legs up to her body.

"I'd say she's pretty out of it."

Kid stood up from his seat on the toilet lid and leaned back into the hall. "I'm going to ice the Oni." he whispered only loud enough for Patty to hear. Soul was on the phone with someone, which was a good sign. Kid slipped back in the bathroom and locked the door.

"I'm going to do it. I hope she's really out of it. I locked the door because Soul will find it suspicious if I use my abilities right now. He may even blame me for this."

Patty nodded her head in understanding. She knew what Kid was talking about. She watched the cloak of the reaper begin forming around him. His eyes went from golden to amber and an unearthly energy swirled about him. She watched him position his Shinigami mask over his face and then suddenly he was gone.

"Don't worry Maka." Patty whispered, "Kiddo is just making sure you're okay; you can't go anywhere with him around. Aniki has a way of helping people not die, or helping them to die faster."

Maka mumbled something. Her breath was growing short. "Mama! Mama, where are you."

Patty sat down in the tub, not caring if she got soaked. "I know what it feels like to see your mother's face on every street corner and never have it be her. I miss my mom too, sometimes. Even though sis hates her for abandoning us, I still wish she was here or I at least knew where she was. You're lucky Maka; at least you've got a dad. He really loves you too. Me and Sis only have Kid; he's our only family."

Maka seemed to come to a bit and reached up and squeezed Patty's hand. "co…co…cold."

"Yeah I know it's cold but we've got to get your temperature down."

Patty stared at where the lights were dancing on Maka's chest, and for a second she saw a ghostly hand wrap around them and squeeze them till they popped. She heard the crackling of energy disperse and knew that had to be Kid. The hand seemed to reach inside Maka and tinker with something and suddenly withdrew and she could see nothing of it.

"Soul?" Maka stuttered again.

"No, Soul is calling an ambulance. It's Patty."

Patty watched a swirl of multicolor lights form in the bathroom just as Soul began beating on the door. "I called Nygus, she's coming over. Why the hell is this door locked?"

Patty watched Kid step out of the light from what appeared like nowhere. She had seen it dozens of times before, usually when he came home from doing his job as a grim reaper. Kid shook his head, which Patty assumed meant he hadn't found anything else.

"She'll be okay; I fixed the so called ticking you were hearing when I went over to the other side. I didn't see anything else but the three Oni. I squashed two of them the other one should be coming out shortly. When we came over and started giving her medical treatment we probably interfered with a turning point of some sort. "

"Kid, you open this door right now! I don't know what you think you're doing locking me out of my own bathroom..."

Kid opened the door before Soul could finish the statement. "I thought I told you to call an ambulance, not Nygus."

"What the hell are we going to do at a hospital, huh? The nearest one is at Tahoe and it's all a bunch of strait collars that don't even know what the hell we do out here.

"You make us sound like Area 51." Kid grouched.

"You know what I mean. What the hell would the paramedics think when they saw the buildings and all the crazy shit around here? Normal people don't know about us."

"I don't see why not, death is a completely natural process. After all we are just the servants of the..."

Soul smacked his head with his palm.

"Hello, Earth to Kid! We run around slicing down kieshen eggs. Our town looks like Rue Paul designed it. And everything from the name of the cafe to the school has the word 'death' in it. At best someone would think we were some strange Kool-Aid drinking cult. You really don't look around much do you? To the rest of the world this place is freaky. Normal towns don't have cats that turn into women working in strip clubs with witches. They don't have kids with demons popping out of their backs. Normal town have nice little houses that look all alike, not something that looks like the big top from the circus.

"You sound homesick." Kid said softly and smiled, "Most people get homesick when they don't feel well. Why don't you go lay down. You're sick too, after all. Patty and I can take care of Maka. You're right; I might have jumped the gun wanting to call an ambulance and Maka probably wouldn't want me to expose the town to do such a thing. I guess I'm just scared. I've never had someone I liked before, and usually things don't work out well for me."

Kid rubbed the back of his hair nervously and blushed a bit. Soul didn't expect him to cave so easily. He didn't like it, he wanted to fight and be angry, but it was like Kid really didn't notice how different the world was. Probably because he had been raised here in Death City and god knew where else.

"Can I have a hand here?" Patty yelled from inside the bathtub. She had Maka pulled up and was struggling to get her out of the tub. A knock at the door let them know Mira Nygus had arrived.

Soul ran down the hallway to open the door and found that Mira wasn't alone. Spirit pushed Soul out of the way and went tromping down the hallway.

"Maka! Maka honey, Papa's here." Sprit called.

Mira stared at Soul passively, waiting to be invited in. Soul nodded to her and she followed the path Spirit had blazed. Spirit went from room to room looking for Maka till he heard Patty yell out, "We're in here! Please help us Mr. Albarn."

Spirit darted into the bathroom and Mira followed him in. Soul stayed in the hallway and watched. It would be hard enough to work with five of them in the bathroom. One more body to maneuver around wouldn't help anything.

"What happened? What's wrong with her" Why did she pass out?" Spirit babbled.

Mira pushed Spirit out of the bathroom and positioned her stethoscope in her ears. She pulled at Maka's wet shirt and looked at Patty and Kid.

"You two put her in here?"

"Yeah, she was burning up with fever." Patty said quickly. "She's been getting sick since last night. At least that's what I got out of her while I've been sitting here."

Mira shone a light in Maka's eyes and saw that she was awake, just slightly out of it.

"Kind of a big reaction for just a case of the flu," she commented dryly, "When you called me how come you didn't tell me she'd been sick all night, Soul?"

"In his defense he was sick all night too; he probably didn't notice. When we left here last night it was him that was feverish and throwing his guts up." Kid answered softly.

"And you recovered that fast...interesting."

Spirit smacked Soul on the head with the back of his palm. "You should have called. If both of you were sick I would have come over!"

"That's the last thing Maka would have wanted. She would have screamed at you and me both till she was hoarse."

Spirit regarded Soul in disgust. He hated having people rub his strained relationship with his daughter in his face and this was no exception. He hated even more that his daughter chose to live with her classmate instead of at home with him. He still bugged Maka weekly, trying to get her to move home but with no avail. As long as Soul Evans was hanging around his daughter she wouldn't even consider it. Spirits chest puffed up smugly and he nudged Soul with his shoulder. He might be an adult but that didn't prevent him from bullying the little brat a bit.

"Since you're sick you ought to get to your room and go lay down."

Soul didn't seem to notice the venom in Spirit's voice. "I promise I will. I just want to see that Maka's okay, and then I'll be down for the rest of the night."

Spirit glowered at him darkly but Soul shrugged it off. He noticed both Patty and Kid were damn near soaked, both of them were in the bathtub trying to hold Maka up so Mira could examine her. Maka seemed to notice for the first time she wasn't alone and babbled feverishly.

"Sorry I couldn't come over after school. I was gonna make you lunch."

"That's okay Maka." Patty answered.

Kid moved a loose strand of hair from Maka's face and forced a smile. "You can come stay over at our house as soon as you get better. You and the girls are going to have a big sleepover. We'll order in food and just goof off all night"

"No…I wanna…cook." Maka stuttered drunkenly. She watched Mira dig in her bag and produce a couple of white pills.

"When was the last time you vomited Maka?"

"Noon, I think." Maka looked about confused, "Kid-kun what are you doing here?"

"Spirit can you go see if they have any carbonated soda in the fridge? I want to give her some ibuprofen to bring down the fever but if we give to her with water she's likely to get sick again." Mira called.

Spirit darted away to the kitchen and Mira turned her eyes on Soul.

"Soul if you have this I want to examine you as well. Soon as we get Maka out of the tub."

"There's no need, the black blood is fighting it off. It's weird I know, but I can actually feel it. "

Mira looked at him coldly, "I'm the one with the triage certificate, and you do as I say. Go lay down till I can look at you."

Soul felt his cheeks prickle with heat, he was angry. "Stupid gym teacher thinks she's House all the sudden. She's just a damn nurse, she isn't even a doctor." He muttered and went into his bedroom and slammed the door.

The noise echoed down the hall and Kid and Patty flinched as it vibrated the pictures on the wall. Kid rubbed his fingers over Maka face and smiled at her. "It's going to be okay, I promise you. I know you don't feel good right now but I swear it will go away soon."

Mira took Maka's temperature again. "It's come down to ninety-nine; we can get her out of the water now." Spirit came back with the soda just as Kid and Patty lifted Maka out of the tub.

"What can I do to help? He asked frantically.

Kid looked Spirit in the eye and motioned to the hall closet with his head.

"Grab some towels for us so we can get her dried off." Kid felt something move inside his chest. It felt like his heart was being ripped out. _I did exactly what I never thought I would do. I changed her natural lifespan and moved her out of Grand Design's way._ A part of him felt like some of his innocence had been lost. He had never used his Shinigami abilities for his own personal gain, not once, and the first time he had sensed one of his friends' lives in danger, he had warped reality a bit to save her. He had crushed the Oni which were set to take her life. He debated whether altering Maka's life was the appropriate thing to do, and decided that since it was an outside force that was changing things, it technically wasn't as bad as just doing it because he had crush on her.

Maka pulled her feet out of Kid's lap as she was laid down on the floor. She was freezing. Why the hell was she so cold? She noticed her pajamas were wet, her pigtails were wet, even her underwear was soaked. She leaned back against whatever warm thing that was behind her. She wearily looked for what had been holding her feet and saw a black and white suit in front of her. Her eyes followed the drenched clothes up to the suit's neck and looked into Kid's anxious face.

"You're all wet too? What happened?"

Patty squeezed Maka from behind and buried her face in her neck. "Oh thank god, you're all right." Patty gripped Maka's cut hand, squeezing it tightly, and a strange little ball of green light lifted out of it. No one saw it; she knew by the faces of everyone around her that only she could see it. But Kid's eyes seemed strained, trying to see something he could only feel. The light lifted away and dissipated with a noise that sounded like a cuckoo clock breaking.

Kid murmured something she couldn't hear and looked Patty in the eyes knowingly. "No more of those right?"

Patty traced the room again pulling Maka up to her more tightly. She had never thought for a second that one of her friends could die. She had just experienced something mundane try to kill someone close to her and she didn't like it. Maka was strong; she was a warrior, not some weak little girl that could be killed by a disease. It didn't seem fair that death would target her to go out that way and Patty had to remind herself that Lord Death didn't have a thing to do with it. It was those lights that had tried to kill Maka and magic like that came from witches and warlocks. She felt fiercely protective; someone had tried to murder her friend and she wasn't going to let that slide. As soon as she found out who it was she was going to give that person a couple shots right in the face. Maybe she would buy a real gun to do so.

Patty felt her anger boil up to nearly uncontrollable levels. She hugged Maka tightly and realized she needed to go outside and let the cool air of the late afternoon push it away. She wanted to look around the apartment complex, to see if she could find any witch casting spells in the shadows. She hugged Maka again and Maka turned her face up to look at Patty's.

"Hey, so it's you back there." Maka said. Her choked breath made her words sound wistful and drunk.

"Yeah, it's me. You scared us, you know. Humans aren't supposed to have one hundred and four degree temperatures. You stay up there too long and the fever melts your brain." Patty felt the words stumble from her lips. She couldn't talk normally when she was this upset and her words came out more like the ramblings of an insane person. She immediately felt embarrassed and shut her mouth. Kiddo was the elegant speaker; he could always make people understand and feel comfortable and she let him do the talking since Liz wasn't here to speak for her.

"We're good friends right?" Maka slurred, trying to look up at Patty.

"Yes we're best friends." Patty said, trying to keep her twisted anger out of her voice. Maka's words warmed something inside her and helped push away some of Patty's anger. Maka was saying these things to her. Not to Liz and Patty as a team, but to her alone and Patty's ego felt like it was a on a high. Normally she considered herself a package deal with her sister. Someone that everyone accepted only because her sister was so cool. It was weird hearing anyone say they liked her on their own. It dawned on her that this was the first time it had happened. Surely Kid saw her as an individual, but everyone else seem to see her and her sister as a set, and Patty suddenly realized that all this time she'd been in Liz's shadow. She wondered if Maka would grow to like her and depend on her as much as Kid did and she hoped dearly it would be possible. It would be good to have her own friend, to have something she didn't have to share with Liz. She squashed those feelings, thinking that it was already too late. Tsubaki was already best friends with Maka.

Patty felt all those emotions burning a hole inside her and she handed Maka to Kid and got up from the floor.

"I...I need to get some air." She announced.

"That's okay, I want to get Maka out of these wet clothes and it will be easier to do by myself." Mira told her.

Spirit looked up at Mira like a scolded animal. He held out the soda he'd abandoned on the floor and Mira gave Maka the ibuprofen. Maka swallowed them down with a sip of the soda and Spirit took Patty's place cuddling his daughter.

"I'll get her changed, I'm her Papa."

Mira opened her mouth to protest but Spirit pushed her and Kid out of the room.

"She's my kid Mira; let me take care of her." Spirit growled.

Mira snorted as the bathroom door as it closed in her face, "Stubborn man."

"He's going to have trouble changing her considering he doesn't have any dry clothes." Kid commented dryly.

Mira made her way into Maka's bedroom, rifled through her drawers and found a night gown. It wasn't more than ten seconds before Spirit poked his head out.

"Err, Mira, I need something to change her into."

Mira threw the night gown at Spirits face and it wrapped around his head. He pulled it off and he shut himself back in.

"Overprotective parents are the worst. Impossible to treat anyone when one of them is flitting about like a scarab"

"Where did you learn to do all this stuff anyway, Mira? You said you were in triage. I have to admit my father didn't tell me much about you before you came to Death City."

"I was an army field medic. I've seen some of the worst cases around."

Kid nodded. It explained a lot actually. Mira's militant personality, her choice in clothing and the type of weapon she turned into. Mira was the type of person that normally would have spent her whole career in service. A lifer, they called it, but somehow she wound up in Death City and had decided to take up a job teaching boot camp…er…gym to students. She was also continuing her role as a field medic with the students of Shibusen.

"Do you miss the army ?"

"Sometimes. I miss the companionship of fellow soldiers the most, but I don't miss tromping through the desert in one hundred and ten degree heat with a gun on my back trying to avoid land mines."

"Is working at Shibusen as fulfilling as being a soldier?"

"No." Mira answered quickly, "I understand that kieshen eggs need to be collected but being a soldier was a more fulfilling a career. I felt like I was accomplishing more when I was in the military."

Kid nodded his head in understanding. He wondered why Mira had bothered to quit the army and come to Death City but he didn't ask her. Everyone at Shibusen had their own reason for being there, some of which were very personal.

Take Soul for instance; he had turned down a pre-college program at Julliard to come here. It would have made him a shoo-in for the college, probably with a full scholarship to any music program of his choosing. But Soul chose to come here instead, for reasons that still eluded Kid. Kid liked to play the piano but he was nowhere as good as Soul. Soul was ravenous on the keys, creating his own music and Kid could just play other people's works. Sure, he could play them with ease but he couldn't have written a page of sheet music to save his life. _Must be nice to have a talent that doesn't include reaping souls. _

Kid didn't understand why Soul had just thrown it all away as if it meant nothing to him. He obviously liked music and he was so gifted. It made him a truly baffling person. Kid looked on as Mira forced herself into Soul's room and gave him the full work up while Soul protested and sighed.

Spirit slowly walked out of the bathroom with Maka in his arms. Her frilly pink nightgown made her look like a china doll and Kid winced, knowing Maka definitely wasn't going to like that. Spirit tucked her into her bed, happy and genuinely pleased with himself. He loved his little girl. Kid could see it in the way he looked at her, a proud parent knit with concern for his daughter. Kid couldn't help but think that the image of the two of them looked right and something about the scene warmed the cockles of Kid's heart. He smiled to himself and went to stand next to Maka's bed. Spirit abruptly turned around and placed both hands on Kid's shoulders and pushed him back out of the room.

"You can't come in here; this is a young lady's bedroom."

"But I'm worried about her." Kid pleaded.

"Absolutely not, no boys in Maka's bedroom. Papa forbids it."

Kid felt his voice catch in his throat. He chuckled a little bit and tried to hide it. Soul probably came in here all the time. His daughter was living with a male classmate and Spirit was still operating with rules like this. Kid didn't test Sprit's authority though. Instead he looked back in on Soul, who was putting his shirt back on irritably.

"Hey I guess Patty and I are leaving. If you guys need anything just call. I'll come by tomorrow with dinner. "

"That's not necessary. I'm staying over. I can cook for them." Spirit sang happily.

Soul snorted. "Yeah, come tomorrow. Soon as Maka wakes up and sees her old man here she'll probably have me throw him out."

Kid bit his tongue to keep from laughing. Soul had no fear of Spirit; he treated him as if he was little more than a nuisance.

"Hey I'm sorry I got on your case earlier." Soul said, flicking Mira's stethoscope away.

Kid shook his head, "No need to apologize."

"I wasn't. I meant what I said, I'm just not happy with the way I said it. You really shouldn't be chasing after my Miester. If Maka gets distracted with stupid stuff she's going to end up getting killed, and not by some stupid fever."

Kid face turned sour he didn't agree. Basically Soul was telling him to back the hell off and that just wasn't going to happen.

"I guess we're just going to have to agree to disagree on this subject. We'll talk more about this when you and Maka are well. Get some rest. I hope you feel better. I'll see you both tomorrow."

Soul growled but Mira had him again and put a blood pressure cuff around his arm. She knocked him back to the bed roughly and Kid left. He found Patty waiting out in the hallway kicking the carpet with the tip of her boot.

"I went to every apartment and not a witch one from what I can tell."

"Well I'm certain they aren't just going to jump up and down and admit they're witches that are summoning Oni."

"I know that." Patty spat. "I thought I'd be able to just look at them and know they were up to no good. Like you said, magic has a smell to it. I figured they would be drenched in the scent."

"So what did you tell the people in the apartments?"

"I said I was selling cookies for the school. By the way, I sold ten boxes and we need to pick up some cheap cookies on the way home."

Kid laughed wholeheartedly. "That's a good one. I'll have to remember that."

"I don't think it would work for you, Boys usually only sell mixed nuts and socket wrenches."

Kid laughed again. "As if someone would think you and I are in scouts in the first place. You didn't take money from them did you?"

"Yeah, I made 10 bucks a box!"

"You can't take that money; you got to give it back!" Kid said, marveling at the absurdity of the situation.

"Hell no! They were stupid enough to buy cookies for ten bucks a box and I plan on delivering and keeping the profits."

Kid wrapped an arm around Patty neck and pulled her against him. "What do you need the money for? I give you anything you can want."

Patty hung her head in defeat and pouted a bit, "I know but I..." She couldn't finish the statement. She didn't know why she tried to con those folks. She had set the price high thinking they wouldn't possibly buy cookies for ten bucks a box, and when they did it stroked her ego a bit and made her feel better. It was hard breaking some of her slippery patterns from the old days on the streets back in Brooklyn. Liz usually kept an eye on her to make sure she didn't revert back to the old ways just out of habit. If she wasn't vigilant with herself she would swipe someone's wallet without even noticing what she had done. It was almost a reflex to her. Patty and Kid exited the apartment, and Kid produced Beelzebub with one hand. The two of them hopped on the back of the skateboard and began to fly home.

As Patty felt the wind breeze through her short hair she felt clarity and calmness fall over her. She didn't get to ride on the skateboard often; normally she was in gun form because Liz didn't like heights and Kid was afraid of being off balance. Today was different though. Patty had been set on going to Maka's, but Liz was afraid the two of them would catch whatever Soul and Maka had and said she wasn't going. She had believed that Kid and Patty would cave and stay with her but they had done otherwise.

Patty hung onto to Kid's shoulders and felt the air flow around her as Kiddo kicked the skate board into motion. The streets rushed away from them as they lifted off the ground. Kid was taking them higher than usual, knowing Liz wasn't here to bitch about it and that Patty enjoyed the speed and movement of the board.

"I'll give the money back tomorrow." Patty huffed, breaking the silence.

Kid nodded and kissed her on the side of the head as he twisted the board in mid air.

"That's my girl."

"Kiddo, why did you leave Maka so soon? I thought you'd want to stay longer."

"I did but Spirit wasn't going to let me in Maka's bedroom and Soul has had enough of me. I can tell when I'm in the way."

Patty snorted. "Maka would have wanted you there more than her old man."

Patty watched the backs of Kid's ears turn red a bit. "You think so? I mean we just started dating and I don't want to seem too clingy."

Patty's smile widened. "She likes you Kiddo, it's really obvious if you're watching her. She got all blushy and nervous with you at that tea ceremony yesterday. You two just sort of belong together if you ask me. Only you and Maka would get that intense about doing laundry and following some ancient tea drinking tradition."

"You didn't like the tea ceremony?" Kid asked, missing the point.

"No I liked it but it seemed like you guys were in your own little world while we were doing it. I felt kind of confused at first but it was cool. You know, I was kind of impressed that Maka did something like that for me and sis. No one really sees us as ladies and they don't think we have the temperament to enjoy nice fancy things like tea ceremonies."

Kid pulled the skateboard over to the side of the hangman's tree and began lowering it to the ground. "I take you to do refined things all the time. If you want more culture in your life Patty, we can go to the opera or the museum-"

Patty shook her head and wrapped her hand around Kid's. "No, I know you do stuff for us, but it's not the same. You're my brother; you feel obligated to show us new things and new cultures. Maka's not obligated and she chose to do that for us, and not because Tsubaki, her other Japanese friend, was around. She wanted to show it to me and Sis. That's what makes it different and special. I felt like the first time someone thought of me as a lady instead of some street kid that you took in and made a family with." Patty's eyes welled up and she squeezed Kid's hand tighter.

Everything Patty said set off alarms in Kid's mind. Patty wasn't happy. She had a horrible self esteem and everything she'd said had, in one way or another, put herself down.

"Patty, I see you and Liz both as ladies. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, I know what you're like."

Patty dried her eyes. "I know you do. But I want other people to see it too. I want to be considered a lady. I just kind of mess things up with people you know, I get angry and all the stupid stuff just sort of falls from my mouth. I don't mean it as bad as it sounds. But Maka doesn't think I'm stupid. I want to be Maka's best friend. "

Kid gave Patty a hug and bounded up the stairs. He turned around on his heels before putting the key in the door. "Then go after what you want!"

"What?" Patty said, confused.

"If you want Maka to be your best friend then work hard and do it! You're a great person. Maka sees it too, so build on that."

Patty looked up at Kid, amused. "You mean just steal myself a best friend?"

Kid didn't understand what Patty meant, but he nodded. "Yeah, sure, steal yourself a best friend. Someone who doesn't treat you nicely just because you're family."

Patty smiled brightly her blue eyes twinkling. _She could do that couldn't she? She was great at stealing stuff; why would a best friend be any different than a watch or a wallet? She would just need to make Maka think she was reliable, that she was strong. She could pull that off, she just knew it. _

"I'll do if you do it!" Patty said, jabbing Kid with her elbow. She watched Kid open the door lock three times and she could tell he was going through his OCD ritual of unlocking the door eight times before turning the knob. She shoved him out of the way with her hip and took the keys from him.

Kid rubbed his sore side. "What do you mean?"

"I think you should be Maka's boyfriend. It's obvious you two like each other a lot."

"I already am Maka's boyfriend. I asked her in the library a couple of days ago."

"That's not what I meant. You cowed down to Soul today, I saw you. Do you honestly think he's going to sit back and watch you date his Meister?"

Kid's stomach did a flip flop as he walked nervously into the grand entry of The Gallows. "Actually, he told me to back off right before we left. He said if Maka gets wrapped up in stupid stuff, meaning me, she'll get herself killed." Kid let out a shaky breath and covered the stripes in his hair with his hand. "I really like Maka though. I can't say I've ever felt this way before. Much less have it reciprocated."

"Well then don't let her go, stupid! It's not like he's got any business telling you to back off anyway. They're not dating. He's not her brother or her boyfriend or anything; just her weapon and how much longer is that going to be for? Think about it - we've got less than two years till we graduate from the academy and then Soul will be Lord Death's Scythe. He'll be sent off to some far away continent to do whatever Death Scythes do and Maka will either go with him or be all alone."

Patty dropped her things in the hallway and headed into the library. Kid followed her, listening to her rant about Soul. "You know that guy's got a lot of nerve! The little shit didn't even check in on her to see if she was sick and he's saying that you're going get her killed?"

Liz had put the mail on Kid's desk and Patty thumbed through it.

"Oh boy it's here!" Patty sang excitedly.

"What's here?" Kid asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Manga day! The new _Wallflower_ chapter is in this issue!"

Patty slapped a couple of manga the size of telephone books into Kids chest. She found her Japanese-to-English dictionary and sat down on the loveseat.

"I'm so excited! Kiddo, will you read it to me? I don't want to have to look up all the words by myself again."

Kid nodded his head. Patty had an interest in manga and comic books, but she couldn't read a lick of Japanese or Korean and most of her favorite stories were in those languages. Kid sat down on the loveseat next to her so she could look at the pictures while he read the words in English.

Kid squeezed the bridge of his nose and began reading aloud. "'Huh, the party is here today, where is Ranmaru? I'm not sure, I think I saw him with Yuki and his little brother.'"

Patty looked over Kid shoulder "Which word means brother?" Kid pointed to a character and Patty looked it over, memorizing it. "How is brother pronounced in Japanese?"

"It's Aniki" Kid explained, turning the page.

"Aniki," Patty sang happily "You're my Aniki."

Kid nodded, felt himself blush a bit and continued reading the thick volume. With any luck he wouldn't have to read all the subscriptions that had come in today.

Patty grabbed his arm after about the sixth story and dragged him into the kitchen, where the scent of bread filled the air. Liz leaned up against the counter. She had already tossed off her uniform and had a silk robe wrapped around her, her hair was up in a towel and loose strands of it fell along her face. She walked around on her heels, trying to not let her freshly painted toe nails touch the floor.

"Oh you two are home already. Don't tell me the both of you got sick."

"No" Patty sang happily "Were germ free. Maka isn't though."

Liz nodded, glad she hadn't gone over. "How is Soul doing?"

"I'd say the two of them are going to be home from school at least a week. Soul is looking better but he still has that cough and he can't breathe well."

"And what about Maka?"

"Other than the fact she almost died today because of some stupid magical demon thingy she's okay. Kiddo took care of it."

Liz nearly dropped the hot pizza pan she was pulling from the over "Almost died how?" she demanded.

Kid coughed clearing his throat, "Maka was running a temperature of one hundred and four when we got there."

Patty yanked open the utensil drawer. She grabbed the pizza cutter and slapped it on the table angrily. "Yeah, and that idiot Soul didn't even bother to look in on her. If Kid and I hadn't come over her brain would have probably been leaking out of her ear. She had this Oni thing inside her, and it was making her sick. Kid did his magical mumbo-jumbo and I stayed with her in tub of cold water trying to bring her fever down. Finally the Oni came out and broke into little pieces."

Liz bit her lip, worried. "Maka she's all right isn't she?"

"Yeah, since the Oni is gone it can't force her to become sicker than any normal person would be with the flu. Her fever is broken so she'll get better on her own. I look for her to feel like crap for a couple of days." Kid sighed.

Liz took her hair down and laid her wet towel across the back of a chair. "Should we go back over and stay with them? It's not like they're going to be able to take care of themselves if they're both running fevers and are stumbling around the house." When the chips were down, you could always count on Liz to take care of people, even if they were germy and contagious.

"Spirit's over there now, he's got things under control." Patty assured her

"Eew, Maka isn't going to like that one bit." Liz chortled.

Patty sank the pizza cutter into the hot cheese and began slicing out wedges. She used more pressure than necessary to cut through the pizza and the pan clattered against the marble counters. "It's too bad, too. The guy is obviously a great dad. She should lighten up on him a little."

Kid grabbed three plates and began passing out slices before agreeing. "I kind of thought that way too. I mean I know Maka is mad at her dad for being a womanizer but it's a bit much. I mean, he tries so hard to get her affection." It was hard for Kid to imagine loving a mother more than a father that constantly fawned over his daughter, after all his mother had left him too.

"The way she sees it he chased off her mom. So she's going to continue to be pissed about it until she sees otherwise. Maka seems to think her mother is the bee's knees, though. She must be one hell of a woman to get that kind of respect from her daughter. Especially considering that I heard she just up and abandoned the two of them after the divorce. I know I wouldn't be so forgiving of the woman if she abandoned me." Liz snorted.

Patty could see Liz was comparing Maka's mother with their own mother and she could taste the bitterness in her sister's words. Patty didn't have the same level of pent-up hate for their mother, she regarded her as some mythological creature that had been around for a short while and then just disappeared.

The likelihood of the two of them ever meeting their mother again was as slim as the Chicago Bears winning a super bowl. Sure it could happen, it just wasn't bloody likely. So she didn't see why Liz still held such contempt and anger. That chapter of their life was in the past; they had a good home now, a good family, friends and they didn't have to steal anymore.

Patty bit into her pizza and the cheese slid off the slice. She would go visit Maka again tomorrow, she had already decided. If Liz didn't want to come again then she'd just drag Kid along with her to help him build up his confidence. It would also give the two of them a chance to spend some time together as brother and sister. She inhaled her pizza slice in a couple of bites and set to work on another.

"Yo, Aniki, I got an idea for you."

"What's that?" Kid asked, struggling to cut the pizza into equal bites before daintily eating them with his fork.

"I think you ought to march your butt down to the florist tomorrow and pick out a bouquet of get well flowers and I think you should do it every day that Maka stays sick."

Kid pondered the idea for a second. "What about what Soul said?"

"Screw Soul!" Liz interjected, "You want her right? He's just an obstacle. Sometimes Kiddo you have to fight for things that you want. I know normally you just roll over and let people walk on you but you can't do that with Soul. He's not going to go away. You've got to use all that noble charm of yours to sweep Maka off her feet so hard she won't even look at him."

Kid seemed to nod, he never disagreed with Liz when she was on a tirade; he valued his life too much for that. "So what do I need to do? Are flowers enough? I mean really, aren't flowers kind of trite?"

Both girls looked at Kid and said "No!" simultaneously.

"Men don't buy flowers anymore unless they've screwed up. You, Kiddo, are going to prove the cliché wrong. If you get her flowers when she's sick, she'll notice, and if you do what Patty says it will be a sign of how much you really care about her. Guys that go over the top to do nice things get the girl." Liz smacked her open hand against the table rapidly, getting all excited.

"It supposed to be romantic." Patty cut in.

Liz squealed and bounced happily in her chair. "This is going to be so much fun! We actually have a chance to mold you into the perfect man. We know exactly what women want and we can just pass it all down to you. Maka won't even know what hit her."

Patty tried to look Kid in the eye and communicate how sorry she was for getting Liz started. That wasn't what she had been planning. She thought Kid was doing a good job on his own; he just needed a push now and then in the right direction.

"So flowers every day she's sick, or can I switch it up and give her little gifts so it doesn't seem like I have no imagination whatsoever?"

Patty nodded at him happily. "Yes, but the flowers all over the house certainly would be a good sign to Soul. It'll show him you're not afraid of him and that you're not backing down."

Kid grabbed his collar and undid the skull around his neck. He unbuttoned his top two buttons and tried to cool his cheeks down. "What if I am slightly afraid of him?"

"Don't be! Kiddo you can out romance him any day of the week and it's not like he can beat you up or anything, you've already proved that." Liz said pointing her manicured fingernail at him. She took a long swig from her bottle of soda and raised it to Kid.

"Given the proper motivation I think Soul might be able to do a number on me. Maybe you haven't noticed but he and Maka are on a whole other level than us. I first noticed that when we got out of the book of Ebion and started fighting Noah."

Patty snorted. "No Maka is on a whole different level, not Soul, and deep down Soul knows it too. He's nowhere near as good as Spirit or Justin Law as far as weapons are concerned. I think even Tsubaki is better than him. He can't even change into as many forms as her."

"I don't know about that." Kid explained darkly. "Soul, has this inner strength, something darker that motivates him. I can't explain it, just something I sense in him."

Patty cracked her knuckles and stretched out in her chair. "Don't worry about any of that. Tomorrow after class we'll go to the florist and you are going to show off your great flower arranging skills. Good old Soul doesn't know jack about flowers and you do."

"I beg the both of you not to go telling everyone at school about that."

"What are you talking about? My birthday bouquet was beautiful Kiddo-kun." Liz sang happily. "Why shouldn't you be proud that you're so worldly?"

"Because it's not a proper hobby for boys, arranging flowers and picking out bouquets. Do you have any idea what the guys would think of me if they knew about it?"

Liz clicked her tongue. "It's not about the guys though. It's about Maka, the girl you like right? I agree with Patty, you should show off a bit; you know the meanings of all the flowers and you can come up with pretty bouquets because of your obsession with symmetry and form. It's a good way of taking one of your more negative qualities and putting a spin on it to make it look like a good thing."

Kid hadn't thought of it like that. "Can I say that you two helped me so I don't look like a girl?"

Liz nodded happily and Patty screeched out laughing. "Good luck covering that up Aniki I don't think you're going to be able to hide that for long. You're the only guy I've ever met that likes cleaning house, baking and arranging flowers. Besides, Maka likes you for who you are."

Patty went and got one of her mangas from the library.

"You're one of these," she said, pointing to the characters on the cover. "Otomen" she read and Kid winced at the word.

Liz took the manga out of Patty hands and began flipping through it. "What did she call you? I don't get it."

Kid moved his plate out of the way and laid his head down on the table. "She basically called me a girly boy."

Liz smacked Patty over the head with the manga. "Don't call Kid a girl, he's going to get depressed and start cleaning the whole house again."

Kid raised from the table, pouting, and put the dishes in the sink. He started filling it up to be cut off by Liz. "Hey don't get down on yourself. Remember we're going to make all your short comings seem like assets. Quit worrying. I'll take care of the dishes tonight. You look tired. Just go on upstairs and head up to bed."

Kid trudged up the stair case and plopped down on his bed. He had no sooner lay down before he heard ticking in his ears. He arose sleepily from his covers and heard the ticking grow louder._ Looks like no sleep for me tonight. Time to go to work. _The robes of the reaper began forming around him without him summoning them and the magic of the Never After began pulling him in. He was slipping between the reality he lived in and the reality in which the dead walked. The whole world seemed to spin and he found himself in the middle of a corn field. His bedroom had given way to soft rolling plains and he stood on the side of a back country road. There was a steep ditch a few steps away from him with a turned over SUV in it.

Kid looked around to see if there were any onlookers. When he found none and figured no traffic would be giving him any trouble, he pressed himself into the plane where reapers did their work. Kid slipped from the colored world to a black and white one. He relaxed, feeling the familiar magic envelop him. He counted how many clocks he heard ticking and set to work collecting the souls of the soon to be departed individuals.

There were four people and each of their souls had a different sounding clock that seemed to accompany it. He looked at the SUV and began determining the proper way to help the passengers along into the afterlife. They weren't dead yet and the Grand Design hadn't reached them, which meant he had time to give them a quicker, gentler alternative to what fate had in store for them. Kid slid through the vehicle as if he were a ghost himself. He laid his hand down over the driver first and a ball of light released from her body no sooner than he touched it. He slid his hand against the back of the seat, reaching through it and into the women's back and pulled out an hour glass. The next woman was wearing a red hat and a purple dress and she, unlike the driver, was struggling. He repeated the movements quickly, gently freeing the woman of her pain. He laid the two hourglasses on the floor board and made his way through the twisted gnarls of the car to the next row of seats. He noticed now that there were actually five people in the car. Two in the front, two in the middle and one who had been thrown into the back. The ticking noise only came from four of the women. Evidently one of them was meant to live. He touched the next lady; she looked nearly eighty and her clock was drumming louder than the others. The woman turned and looked into his eyes. He watched as a ghost rose from her body but did not fully tear away. It lay over her features, shimmering there.

The ghost looked at him, shocked and confused "Who are you?" she questioned.

Kid realized he was running out of time. If this one was seeing him, then the Grand Design was probably all the way around the outside of the car. He proceeded to reap the soul of the other old woman in the seat next to her who hadn't noticed him yet. The seventy year-old reached up, seeing his face at the last minute and he cursed himself for not wearing his mask. Kid looked at the crucifix hanging from the mirror and back to the ghost who was becoming more frantic after seeing her friend give up an hour glass and a ball of light. She looked at the other two lights in the car and began to shake.

Kid whispered, "It's okay, don't be afraid." He unfastened the woman's safety belt and gave her his hand. He pulled her spirit loose from her body and helped the ghost out of the mangled SUV. She was so content with getting out of the turned over car she didn't notice her body was still left behind in the wreckage."I work for the almighty. I'm kind of the delivery boy. Don't worry; no one is going to be in pain. This is the more comfortable way of passing on."

"What about Marge?" the old woman asked pointing to her friend in the back. She looked worse than the other three women; evidently she hadn't been wearing a safety belt. Ironically she was the one that was supposed to live.

"Your friend back there is going to live. Others will come and find her." Orange light had erupted around the car and the violet light braided with it was twining around them.

It dawned on the lady that the young man didn't mention she was suppose to live. "What…what about me?" she asked nervously.

"Well, you need to join your friends. Typically you wouldn't be able to see me but because your time is dwindling you were able to."

"So are you some sort of guardian angel?"

Kid didn't want to lie to the woman, but he wanted to put her at peace before he reaped her soul. "I'm not anything that grand, like I said, more of a delivery boy. Don't worry though; you'll get to find out more about that later. But we need to hurry or else you're going to become uncomfortable. Kid covered the old woman eyes with his hands and reached into her chest to pull out the hourglass.

"Please! Free Marge first. I know you said others will come, so please don't make them waste time on the rest of us if she's hurt."

Kid stopped his reap in mid stream, and moved away from her and started back toward the car. "You go sit down over there and wait for me; I've got to make myself tangible again to help her."

He watched the ghost of the old women cry a bit and say a few merciful prayers to the almighty for her friends and herself as he slid from the Never After to the real world. He ripped the door off the car with his bare hands and dug the unconscious woman from the back seat. He laid the women down on the wet crab grass on the side of the road, and punched out the rear window with his fist to make it look like Marge had gone flying through it. Satisfied that she would be easily seen, he dug into his pants pocket and produced a business card which he placed next to the woman. The card read 'Memorial Gardens Cemetery and Funeral Home'. At the bottom the card read 'Keith D. Thaed, Director of Funeral Service.' Kid found one of the women's cell phones flung from the car and dialed 911. He didn't leave a message with them, he knew better than that. 911 would triangulate where they were by the cellular signal. He was unsatisfied seeing his business card on the ground and decided to put it into the woman's pocket so it would look more natural. With that completed, he stepped back into the orange stream so he could finish the last reap.

When he re-entered the ghost plain, he found the women still sitting under the tree where he left her. The cornstalks bowed in the wind and blew loose the leaves in the trees blanketing the sky with oranges and reds. She was still praying he smiled at her widely, glad that the woman hadn't taken advantage of him and tried to run off. "Okay Ms?" Kid stumbled. He didn't know her name.

"Rose, my name is Rose."

"Ok Ms. Rose you all ready to go?"

"What will happen to my other friends?"

Kid summoned the blue globes with his hands and they flitted to him. "They're just waiting on you. I guess they wanted to take off with you; something like one last big adventure."

Rose smiled widely at the blue globes of light. "Yes, one last big adventure. I'm ready to go Mr. Grim Reaper."

Kid looked at her, startled. He hadn't realized the woman knew what he was. "How did you know I was a..." Kid choked on the words. He hated being called a grim reaper, it just seemed so dark and ominous.

"Come on! Black cloak, super human strength, last request; I'm old, not stupid." Rose gave Kid a bittersweet smile. "Thank you for saving Marge." She stepped forward and put Kid's hand between her breasts. She waited with her eyes closed while Kid drew the hour glass from inside her.

"You're a good boy. I'll tell the Almighty you said hi when I see him."

"You do that." Kid smiled and looked up to the now starlit sky to watch the blue globes streak across it. He turned back to the living woman once more and waited at her side. He heard an ambulance in the distance and he took it as his cue to exit.

"It's going to be ok Ms. Marge. Help's here."

Kid stepped into the orange light once more and found himself back in his bedroom. Stuff like this happened all the time. It was the part of Kid's job, one that his friends didn't really understand. He was the son of Lord Death and that meant certain duties had to be performed. It didn't matter whether it was day or night, if he was in school or at home; when he heard the toll of the clock he had to go to where death called him. Luckily there were fail safes in place that allowed him, in essence, to do more things at once. Systems and designs that allowed him and his father to reach out their very souls to perform the duties of death around the world. Other great natural oddities helped him too, like the fact that little time passed in the ghost plain, and that he could move between the Never After and reality with little effort of his own. This was a good thing, considering that about seventy thousand people died in the world every day, barring thing like global catastrophe, freak weather events or world war. That number was pretty average.

Kid flopped on his bed and noticed the third shift of Soul birds was returning home for the night. The birds had only one purpose: to help move souls around and lighten the load on both Death's and Kid's nervous systems. But recently the birds were slacking on the job, partly because Kid had yet to come into his full power and partly because his father still controlled them. They were only pulling in roughly about twenty one thousand souls. That was only thirty percent of the actual work load and Kid was dissatisfied.

He banged at the wall, shaking a few lazy ravens from his window sill and motioned for the dumb things to get a move on. Thirty percent efficiency meant Kid was being ripped out of his bed nearly every night for reaps. He could barely even take kieshen missions anymore for fear of getting called away in the middle of the battle by the Grand Design, and because of this Patty and Liz's soul count was not yet what he hoped it would be.

He opened the window and realized that, like so many other nights he would be getting no sleep. He headed outside and followed the ravens to one of the many seams that lead to the Never After. The birds were hanging around his grave yard and he smacked at them with a broom, pushing them off the tomb stones so they would get moving. The wet grass crunching beneath his feet as he moved and the leaves blowing in every which direction.

"Stupid death elementals! Move along already, you have work to do."

Kid kicked at a rock, sending it at another Soul bird that sat there just watching him and cackling. It wasn't good when the birds didn't respect the master and Kid felt the birds were somewhat to blame for his lack of a social life. The ravens weren't actually birds at all, they were just magic. Death Elementals. The birds would go out, pluck up the souls of the dead and take them into the Never After. Or at least that was what they were supposed to do. Instead, the birds usually just putzed around: sat on statues, watched people, ate worms and acted, well, like birds. Kid had never witnessed a more stubborn group of elementals in his life. Every morning he woke up and assigned the birds to different continents and gave them detailed plans to help them to be more efficient. And every day he got a fraction of the souls he was shooting for.

The dead in the world was beginning to pile up. More and more people were actually seeing ghost. Catching ghosts on cameras, and that wasn't supposed to happen. Death was supposed to be a great and mysterious place where one would get a chance to experience their religious beliefs on a higher, more informed plane of existence. It was suppose to be a profound moment in a person's life.

Having herds of ghosts running around and being caught on film contradicted that. It made people doubt their faiths and frankly Kid didn't want that responsibility weighing on his shoulders. Having a few haunted places around the world was fine. But ghost in suburbia...well that just didn't sit well in Kid's stomach. Hell you could practically see ghosts on every freaking street corner nowadays, and no matter how many souls Kid seem to save it seemed like there were thirty to forty more ghosts wandering around confused as to why they were still hanging around in a state of limbo.

Kid followed the fleeing birds to the aviary he had tucked away behind the graveyard. A tornado of feathers exploded around him. The ravens fluttered into the sky, blocking out the light as they flapped their way into the aviary. There were nearly nine thousand birds in shift three and they plunged around him, filling the rafters of the eight story aviary tower. To an onlooker the aviary looked like a brick bell tower of a church. A steeple of brick and mortar made to chime out on Sunday mornings. Instead of bells, it held birds and gave Kid a place to address the flock.

A mere one thousand birds was an impressive site to behold; nine thousand made it look like something biblical was happening. The sky filled with the flock and they pressed into the tower, filing in through every window cut into the heavy brick masonry. It was unnatural looking but it was the only way Kid could come up with to disguise the flock. The birds moved like dark waves through the sky until finally the massive swarm was inside the tower.

There was nothing else in the aviary, just beams and wires to hold the flock. The tower had only one purpose to it and Kid was about to use it. It served a place where Kid could meet with the elementals and command death's minions before they came on for a shift. He stood in the center of belfry-turned-aviary and cleared his voice before he spoke.

"Quit your squawking already, I'm sick of it. You have been a real pain lately. The soul collection numbers are down, down by a lot, and we can't keep continuing to accept the output coming from you. I've got a real simple plan for the lot of you tonight. I want you to collect me two souls. I want two souls from each of you. You got that? Two souls or so help me I will snuff you out of existence."

Kid felt like an idiot talking to the birds. It was rather ridiculous to scream at them. After all, magic could only do what it was told and it was only efficient as the person commanding it. In Kid's case the flock was Lord Death's horde and it did not acknowledge him as their rightful master.

Lord Death had armies of scavengers to pick up souls and Kid wondered why his father had stuck with the ravens for so long. Hyenas, jackals, rats, and vultures all were good soul scavengers. Hell, even cats obeyed better than the feather brained ravens. Kid flung his hands up in the air, annoyed.

"Oh for cripes sake, get moving already! What are you still sitting around here for? Remember: two souls from each of you and you'd better not come home without them."

Kid left the aviary and headed back into the house. He was tired and the moon was now high in the sky. It would be another long day at school with more reaping to do in between classes and during free periods. He would be lucky if he could crawl into bed now and not be awakened for another reap. He was half regretting the decision to enroll at Shibusen since finding time for school had complicated his life even more.

He had only done it on a whim. He had watched Maka face off against Stein and feared both she and Black Star would be killed; out of instinct he wanted to protect them. Maka had reminded him of Patty and Liz and his chivalrous side had wanted to leap into action to protect her. His OCPD had stopped him from becoming the hero of that day, though. And that mistake was added to a long list of regrets he had. The twisted disease had a way of playing with his mind, making little unimportant things seem larger than they should be.

In reality he knew that the only thing he should be worrying about right now was fixing the problems with the netherworld, and getting ready to take of the mantle of death from his father but those big responsibilities seemed dwarfed by things like homework, and finding time to spend with his friends. Secretly he treasured those normal little things though. He wished he wasn't Death's son. That he could have a normal life where all he had to worry about was school and being in love, and having fun with his friends. All those things seemed like heaven in a bottle to him but deep down he knew that a normal life was truly out of reach for him.

Kid collapsed his porch steps and stared at the night sky. Soul was probably right, he shouldn't be pursuing Maka. It was a selfish desire, after all. In reality he would have no future with her. What chance did he have at a normal life when soon he'd do nothing but reap souls and stay in the netherworld day in and day out? A girlfriend didn't really work into that equation very well. He was immortal and Maka was human. That meant her life span was pretty short and one day that would mean reaping her soul.

Kid rubbed his face and felt his eyes; they were wet and so were his cheeks. He sniffed a bit and tried to dry them on his sleeve. What had he been thinking today? He couldn't believe that he'd used his powers to stop Maka from dying. That was just plain wrong, he knew they weren't suppose to be used that way but he had done it nonetheless. Still, he did believe that it wasn't Maka's time and that there had to be some outside source responsible for getting her sick. Something had to have sicked those Oni on her.

Some kind of supernatural bull crap had caused the oni to be there but he couldn't figure out what. After all, neither he nor Patty found anything to prove the oni were summoned there by witches. Other than the rancid smell of magic there was no sign of an enemy, and no one had bothered to attack them when the oni was destroyed.

Kid was terribly afraid that he had screwed with the natural order of Maka's life, and he had done so for his own selfish reasons.

"…No better than my mother." Kid mumbled, choking down another sob, "Only difference is she uses her magic to kill people and I used mine to keep Maka alive when I probably should have let things play out naturally. Maka probably would have lived; she's a fighter and it's not as if we weren't giving her medical treatment. Either way it goes I got trigger happy and abused my powers. I'm no better than raw sewage."

Kid coughed and felt his stomach knot. "If it were anybody else other than Maka I probably could have just stood there, and watched. I didn't give a second thought about helping those old women tonight and they were all probably nice too. What a hypocrite I'm turning out to be."

Kid rose and went back inside. It looked like he might be able to lie down for a while and try to sleep even if it was for just for a half an hour or so. He decided he didn't feel like climbing back up the stairs to his bedroom so he lay down on the sofa in the library. He stretched out on the uncomfortable tight leather and propped a tasseled throw pillow under his head.

Patty's manga were still on floor, the Otomen comic on top of the heap. He saw the boy on the cover handing a bouquet of flowers to a girl, his cheeks blushed with affection, and Kid closed his eyes, trying not to stare at it. Why was choosing the right thing to do so hard now? Kid felt that he'd always had a strong moral compass but as soon as he fell in love and found a glimmer of evidence that someone could care about him everything became more difficult.

"I want to date her but it seems rather hopeless considering the circumstances." Kid mumbled to himself.

He heard a long feminine yawn and a voice answered out of the darkness. "Then date her anyway."

Kid looked up to find Liz leaning up against a bookshelf. She shuffled into the room. "Another reap or are the birds on strike again?"

"Both," Kid complained covering his eyes with his arm.

"Why do you have so many reservations about dating Maka? It can't be just because Soul said not to."

"I just keep thinking about the human vs. immortal thing, and the fact I have no future that doesn't involve reaping. And that I've already screwed up and changed one of her turning points"

"What's a turning point again?" Liz questioned sleepily. She plopped down on the floor and rested her head against Kid's stomach.

"It's one of those instances in which a person can die, where life is hanging by a mere thread. They're random life changing events that everyone has in their life time." Kid answered softly.

"That's not part of the forbidden Shinigami knowledge stuff that I'm not supposed to repeat is it?"

Kid laughed weakly "No, any palm reader can tell you about turning points. After all there's a map of them laid out on your hand."

Liz looked at her hands in the moonlight and grinned widely. "Show me what one looks like."

Kid slowly slid off the couch into the window's light and pointed to the breaks along Liz's life line.

"But there are so many of them!" Liz exclaimed, wide eyed, "This mean I'm going to die?

"No. Only the deep grooves are life altering events. But people's hands change so the deep grooves come and go. Nothing to worry about."

"So if I looked at Maka's hand right now she would have a deep groove across her life line somewhere."

"Yeah, and unlike your hand that groove will continue to be permanent. It's sort of like a strike against her. "

Liz smiled looking down at her hand and ruffled Kid's hair. "I've got two permanent ones; I even know when I got them."

Kid looked at Liz's hand disturbed by what she was pointing too. "What the heck? When did you get that?"

"Before we met. I'm sure Patty has one too. Life was a lot harder before you came along. I don't know what you're so worried about. I mean you fixed it; Maka lived. Good guys one, scary Grand Design zero."

Kid shrugged, upset. "Yeah, but I'm not really supposed to change things when it comes to the Grand Design. Changing a person's turning points has side effects."

Liz giggled and her voice dipped down deep and sultry, "What kind of side effect? Like Maka finding out you saved her life and falling madly in love with you?"

Liz faked a swoon and fell onto the couch, dramatically fanning herself. "You, Kiddo, are worrying too much. Our lives are weird; we do dangerous stuff and we're bound to get a few of these grooves across our hands. Maka's weird, you're weird; just go be weird together."

Kid snickered a bit and his spirits rose. "But that doesn't excuse what I did and the fact that I'm a Shinigami and she's a human."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Patty said it was a witch that brought the Oni, so it's no different than jumping in front of her in battle and taking a punch for her. Remember supernatural shit doesn't count - we can save people from that."

"But we found no evidence that there is a witch around. I mean what if that was supposed to happen to Maka and I screwed something up by jumping the gun and stopping it."

"It's done, just quit worrying about it. Jeeze, you're like talking to a brick wall when you get like this. There is no reason why you can't date her unless you're secretly terrified of having a relationship with somebody. In which in case that means you're a normal guy, big gold star for you!"

"But what about the Shinigami thing?" Kid whined, frustrated.

"That you're going to have to let Maka decide on. You need to put it out in the open early on so she understands you're not a real boy, just a plastic one that's going to stop aging when he hits twenty."

Liz laughed at her own joke and Kid glowered at her.

"So go to bed already and stop lurking around in the dark. You keep brooding like this and people are going to start think your some emo-vampire."

It was Kid's turn to roll his eyes. "We still on for tomorrow?"

"You mean the flower shop? Of course! I want to see your handiwork before you go giving it away. Besides, I want to see Maka's face when you show up with a big bouquet of get well flowers and that love sick grin on your face."

"I'm not that far gone yet." Kid complained.

Liz snorted, "You two just started dating and you're already worrying about being immortal and not having a future together. Face it Kiddo, you're hopelessly in love. A normal guy would be trying to figure out how to cop a feel or get in her pants and you're trying to figure out if you can have a future together. When you start bringing home the Martha Stewart wedding edition then I will get worried. Until then though just relax and enjoy it. It's a good feeling being in love. You don't need to think about ten years down the road, just have fun and worry about now!"

"Sort of like living in the moment?" Kid questioned sheepishly.

"Exactly. Just quit worrying about all the other stuff around you, and concentrate on this one thing. Besides, you need to be figuring up some scam to get Maka over here when she gets all better. Patty really wants her to come and have a sleep over and I would really like to see her make a friend."

Kid nodded. "I don't think we have to worry about Patty. She has her own agenda and it's probably best to leave her to her own devices and not try to coddle her so much."

Liz seemed to pout a second and then smiled. "I guess you're right. I'll have to find someone else to baby." she made a goofy face and began baby talking "You want Big Sis to come tuck you in, wittle Kiddo?"

"Don't you dare talk to me that way! Just because you can't baby Patty doesn't mean I'm going to let you start babying me."

"What are you talking about? I baby you all the time. You know you enjoy it."

Kid started to speak but his features turned horrified. Liz grabbed Kid's face and squeezed his cheeks, bringing him inches away from her face. "Somebody has to wipe away all Kiddo's tears until we can con Maka into doing it." she crooned.

Kid face flushed beet red and he nearly knocked Liz over as he ran out of the room. She heard him stomp up the main stairs and his door slapped shut.

Liz let out a deep chuckle and checked her reflection in the hall mirror. "About damn time he stopped worrying and went to bed. He's going to be dragging ass tomorrow."

She found her own way up the stairs and lay back down in her queen sized canopy bed. She had forgotten all about the beer she had planned to fetch and she pushed herself under the covers wearily. Liz wondered if Kid would lighten up a bit and not work so damn hard if he found love. Then she wouldn't have to worry about him so much. She wrestled with the thought for few minutes before letting out a yawn and stretching into her bed. Her last thoughts drifted to school, she had forgotten to do her homework for Stein's class again and she and Patty would probably be yelled at again. She yawned again she would have to find a way of drawing Steins attention away from Patty so she wouldn't get another F. She tried to think up a plan but it didn't come and It wasn't long before her eyes grew heavy and her lips pursed together in sleep.

Another boring day at school. Patty watched the minutes tick by slowly. She nudged Kid, pointing to his watch and he nodded. _The school clock was on time. Just perfect. _Patty began to wonder how long Dr. Stein could drone about vandalism when she suddenly noticed he had switched topics.

"Okay before you all think you're getting out of here without a homework assignment, let me assure you I have one prepared. You will be happy to know that our field trip is going to be to Haiti."

The class got rowdy, thinking they were going to have a great day at the beach with warm skies and waves. A perfect retreat from the cool weather they had been experiencing lately. Most of them chirped about the endless summer both Haiti and the Dominican Republic experienced.

Killik was the first to spot trouble in paradise. "Professor isn't it hurricane season down there? Are you sure it will be safe hitting the equator this time of year?"

Stein nodded his head. "What's a little wind and rain, right class?" The class sighed collectively.

"Now about your homework. To prepare for the field trip I want you to do some research on Haiti and I will give ten extra points on the lowest quiz score to the students who figure out why I chose Haiti to visit instead of one of the other places around the world that has lazarus pits. "

The class hooped and hollered. Patty watched Kid closely and noticed his expression didn't change. He seemed deep in thought and his lips were a tight line across his face.

"What's wrong Aniki? You don't like Haiti?"

Kid shook his head. "Killik had a valid point and the professor just blew him off. This time of year a large percentage of my reaping quota comes from violent weather on the equator. I just don't think it's a safe place to have a field trip. Think about it, you don't head to the North Pole during winter, so why would you head to hurricane territory during hurricane season? It's just not very prudent. "

"Where else would there be lazarus pools for us to visit?" Liz questioned. She tore a piece of paper from her notebook and began making a packing list, "Bathing suit, sun tan lotion, sun glasses…"

Black Star looked up from his seat and shot Kid a thumbs up. Both he and Tsubaki seemed as pleased as the rest of the class.

"Dr. Stein what day are we leaving on the field trip?" Tsubaki asked.

"Why do you ask Tsubaki? Planning on skipping?"

Tsubaki shuddered , "No sir! It's just that we checked out a supplementary mission this morning. We're going to be gone for a couple of day and we were hoping to be able to go on the trip"

"Well, I was thinking this Friday since we could have three days down in Haiti but now that you mentioned it I didn't think about supplementary work. How many of you have checked out missions?"

Half the hands in the class shot up and Stein looked around worried. "Well that's not good, can't have a field trip with half the class missing. This have anything to do with the cat dissection project we're doing tomorrow?"

Some of the students looked away embarrassed and others snickered. Everyone seemed to come up with missions on dissection days. Lab days were just the perfect day to pick up a supplemental assignment.

"Well I guess we'll put it off till next Friday instead of this Friday. Too bad, I heard Haiti was going to have beautiful weather this week. Nice warm skies and cool tropical drinks sure sounded good to me. I guess we'll just have to chance it and see what next week's weather will bring."

Kid saw straight through Stein. He was baiting the class, trying to get them to cancel their missions, but it wasn't going to work. No one wanted to attend the lab tomorrow and surrendering their missions meant being up to their elbows in cat guts.

"That's good, then Maka and Soul will get to come too." Black Star spoke up out of turn.

Stein looked over to Tsubaki and Black Star, his gaze turning cold. "Where are Soul and Maka anyway? Did they 'accidently' schedule a mission on dissection day too?"

Tsubaki shook her head.

Black Star piped up, not noticing the venom in Steins tone."Oh hell no, you know little miss bookworm wouldn't allow that. Both of them are sick, I heard they got some kind of crazy flu. You can ask Kid and Patty about it they were both there yesterday."

Steins' eyes fell on Kid and Patty. "So are Maka and Soul just magically got sick at the same time?"

Patty's smile fell away and she was about to leap over her desk but Liz put an arm around her. "Yeah. They're both awful actually; bad enough that Spirit is staying with them to take care of them."

Kid thought over Stein's choice of the word 'magical'. Maybe Liz was right, and he should stop second guessing himself. Maybe Maka sickness was caused by an outside force. It seemed unlikely the two of them would get so sick that fast and the presence of the Oni did suggest an outside influence.

Kid pushed his hands through his hair and flipped through his agenda. Two more minutes till he would just blip out of reality and end up in Ireland. He had to reap a good percentage of the dying population there himself today, and he needed to pick up a stray ghost in the valley of the kings in Dublin. Luckily Europe had monuments built in ancient times that attracted ghosts and spooks of all sorts. He might even be able to knock out a kieshen egg or two for Patty and Liz while he was out reaping.

"So have you thought about what kind of bouquet you're gonna get?" Liz whispered.

Kid looked up, dumbfounded. "No, I thought we weren't going to talk about this at school! Besides I have to go to Ireland first and I was concentrating on getting my main job done."

Patty looked over at him annoyed. "What do you mean you've got to go to Ireland? We're supposed to go to the florist."

Black Star turned toward them when he heard Patty raise her voice. He looked at Kid and the girls, shamelessly eavesdropping.

"I've got to get some reaping done before I can go. It will only take me about fifteen minutes, there are only about seventy three people I need to take care of and then I need to grab up a couple of ghosts."

"Seventy-three people! What happened did some plane crash? What the hell is going on in Ireland - did the potato plague hit again?"

"Just normal mortality rates. Actually Ireland's mortality rate is pretty low. That number would be a lot higher if there was a famine or a plague."

Patty eyed Kid, upset. "You're going to be gone all night aren't you?"

Kid brushed his hand through Patty's blond hair. "No. Trust me; I've got a good handle on this. I know how long it takes me to get a series of reaps done and I'll be back before you know it. It will be like time never even passed."

"Why can't you just send the stupid birds?"

Kid looked into her disappointed eyes and frowned. "I can but they don't always do a good job, you know that. Periodically it's good for me to check in on a country. You know I have it all scheduled out and I'm always back soon. When have I ever been gone a long time for reaps?"

Patty began counting off on her fingers. "Let's see, New Orleans, that Tsunami in China, the earthquake in Sumatra…"

"Those were natural disasters. That's not the case today."

"When are you going to learn to take some time for yourself?" Liz scolded.

"Let me go so I can hurry up and get back. I won't be long and I'll meet you at the shop. Make sure you pick up Maka and Soul's books and homework for them."

Liz gave a, exasperated sigh and gathered her books into her arms. "You've got fifteen minutes. Don't get distracted and get back here quick."

Kid nodded and took off down the hall. She watched him enter a broom closet and when a flash of light poured out under the door she knew he was gone.

"Why won't he listen to us?" Patty pouted.

"I don't know the answer to that Patty. Either way we're still going over to Maka's so get your things together. I'm going to go collect all their homework from their teachers."

Patty grabbed Liz's hand. "It will be faster if we split up. You can get Soul's stuff and go to his classes and I'll pick up Maka's. They do have a few classes apart, you know."

Liz considered the idea and smiled. "Okay, sounds like a good plan to me. Where do you want to meet back up?"

"Maybe down the road at that hot dog vendor; I'm getting kind of hungry. Wait! No, let's stop at the cafe and pick up some soup. Maybe we should get some popsicles and sick people food too." Patty planned.

Liz smiled again. "You sure are going out of your way for the two of them. We'd better get busy if we want to do all that before Kid gets back."

"You don't honestly think he's only going to be gone fifteen minutes do you?"

Patty waved her hand at Liz and started down to Maka's classes. She went to each teacher and explained Maka was sick and she'd need all the work for the rest of the week. She figured even if Maka wasn't going to be out that long she would love the chance to get ahead of the class. Patty stuffed everything into her gym bag and headed out the door. Tsubaki ran past her, followed by Black Star. Black Star skidded to a halt in front of Patty, looking over the collection of things she was carry.

"Were headed out on our mission, tell the sickos we'll be back in a week."

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere called Easter Island. The mission director has the gate way open for us so I got to run. Tell Maka and Soul to feel better, okay?"

"Oi! If you're going on a mission who's taking care of the goat?"

Black Star pointed to Hiro, who was struggling with a mess of Black Star's things and had a spiked dog collar in his hand. He looked exasperated but didn't argue and just trudged down the hallway dejectedly.

Patty punched her arm through the gym bags shoulder strap and took off running. She went into the grocery store and picked up everything she thought sick people might eat and then met Liz at the cafe. Liz was already ordering something when Patty dropped her parcels onto the ground beside her.

Patty had hoped it was just going to be Kid and herself today. She thought that if Liz went home she might have more time to prove herself reliable in front of Maka. Of course that was going to be impossible now that the mother hen was clucking over her. "Okay, I ordered for us and asked the waiter to get us a carry out order of Matzo ball soup."

Patty looked at her watch and sighed "It's been fifteen minutes already. Kid should be back. You should have just gotten a hot dog and grabbed the soup to go."

"Well I'm hungry and you said you were hungry and it's not like Kid is going to be able to get done that fast anyway."

Patty sighed. "He promised he'd be back! Aniki always keeps his promises; it's a big deal to him."

"You heard him, he's got over seventy reaps in Ireland. I don't care how good Kid is, that's a big number."

Patty looked at her watch again. The waiter was talking to one of the waitresses and was standing there with Liz's order in his hand. He still hadn't delivered it to the kitchen. She felt a familiar anger grow inside her.

"Just move already." she growled, staring at the waiter.

The waiter continued to flirt and Patty rose from the table. The thought of stomping over to him and beating him senseless made her smile, but she decided Liz probably wouldn't allow her to do such a thing. Instead she picked up the groceries and hitched her book and gym bags over her shoulder.

"Hey what are you doing? The food isn't here yet."

"You know, I kind of lost my appetite all the sudden. I'm going to head on to the flower shop just to make sure Kid isn't standing there waiting for us. Why don't you bring the food to Maka's? If Kid's not there I think I'll just go ahead and head on over there. I bought popsicles and they're probably melting."

"Patty, you really should eat something." Liz fussed.

"I'll have a popsicle on the way there." Patty promised and took off.

Liz gave up. She looked at the waiter and saw he was still yammering away and she decided Patty must have not wanted to wait.

She raised her hand up and flagged the boy over to her. "Hey you! Ya mind getting a move on? I'd like to eat something before breakfast."

The waiter blushed and Liz gave him her most ruthless expression. The one that said 'if you don't do what I say you're going to regret it.'

The waiter ran off to the kitchen with the order and Liz smiled to herself. "Yep, I still got it."

She looked down the street but Patty was nowhere in sight. "Jeeze what did she do, run?"

Patty's feet pounded down the pavement and as she went into a sprint. She saw someone was sitting on the ground outside the florist. His back was hunkered over and he had a huge paper-wrapped bouquet in his hand.

"Sorry I'm late, Liz tried to stop and eat."

Kid looked up from his watch and held a soul out to Patty. He had two of them wiggling away in his far hand that Patty hadn't noticed due to the large bouquet.

"So where is Liz?"

Patty took the soul from him and swallowed it down. "Still at the cafe. She's going to bring soup to Maka and Soul, but I got cold stuff so we really better get going."

Patty watched Kid's expression change from bored to ready. "Yeah, probably want to do this before I chicken out. Or talk myself out of it."

Kid grabbed one of Patty's bags from her and tossed the soul in the bottom with the groceries. I guess I'll give that to Liz when she gets there. Did you remember to bring the money back for the people you ripped off yesterday?"

"Yes," Patty growled bored and annoyed.

"Good, just tell them that there was a mistake, that some of the parents complained about their kids having to sell cookies and the school decided not to do it this year.

"You know for someone who doesn't like lying you certainly are good at it."

Kid looked at Patty humbly "Most of the lies I tell are to myself. I still don't know what I think I'm going to accomplish by wooing Maka. A girlfriend is probably the last thing I really need. The stupid thing is my hormones took control of my mind for a while and I already asked her out."

Patty smacked Kid on the back of the head with her palm. "What the hell, Kid? You like her but now you're thinking it's not convenient? Why, because it's going to interfere with your reaping duties?"

"I just don't want to lead her on. You two know what I'm planning to do once I graduate. It's not like I can have a girlfriend then." Kid stared down at his shoes.

"You're just chickening out. You're getting as bad as Liz. Trust me, the flowers will work."

They'd reached the apartment and Kid knocked rather timidly.

"Trust me, it will work." Patty repeated as the door to the apartment opened.

It Maka who answered and she looked like she had just climbed out of bed. She used her sleeve to wipe at her eyes and Patty plastered a grin on her face.

"We brought you dinner and a few groceries. I thought you might be running low on popsicles so I picked up a fresh box."

Maka looked at Patty, delighted, and rasped "Come on in."

Patty beamed at Maka and yanked Kid through the door by his sleeve. She whispered into his ear, "Don't go getting all shy now. It's the same as buying something for me or Liz. Just give her the damn flowers."

Maka lead the way into the kitchen and helped Patty with the grocery bags. Kid tagged along behind them but was getting the impression he was a third wheel. His brain was telling him to run but he just stood there with the large bundle of flowers in front of his face.

"We just finished all the popsicles so I'm glad you stopped and got us some more. My throat is killing me." Maka croaked.

"Maybe tomorrow I can ask Kim Diehl to come by and she can use some of that tanuki magic. A lot of people from class are going on missions so I'll have to see if her team is leaving or not. If they are maybe she could stop by before they head out in the morning."

Maka groaned. "Class. I'm getting so far behind; do you know what we're supposed to be doing tomorrow?"

Patty smiled brightly. "Don't worry I got your homework for the whole week! I brought home all the rest of your books and as you can see you've got everything from broth to pudding cups in the grocery bag."

Maka glowed in triumph for a second. "Wow, you really remembered everything didn't you?"

"Well Kiddo helped a bit." Patty said slyly. She punched Kid in the stomach with the back of her fist and growled, "Say something."

Kid stammered "These… these are for you." Kid eyes poked out the flowers, holding them like a shield. He turned his head in embarrassment, afraid to look at Maka. He scolded himself for being so cowardly but he just couldn't look at her.

"You got me flowers?" Maka whispered.

Kid didn't answer; he just stood there blushing like an idiot. Maka took the bouquet and brushed Kid's hand with her fingertips as she did. She smiled weakly and began to unwrap the paper around them, examining them as she went.

"I didn't know if you had a vase so I went ahead and got one." Kid offered

Maka stroked the stems of the flowers and chewed at her lower lip. The flowers were beautiful; a group of hot pink and red roses surrounded a center of soft white and pale green orchids. The center of the orchids caught her eye. They were spotted with pink and white polka dots. She had never seen a flower so beautiful in her life. Instead of the usual babies' breath that florists used there were bright green buds surrounding the flowers. The bouquet was huge. It was nearly the size of one of those hotel arrangements and the vase would easily take up her whole night stand.

"Do you not like them? The florist was pushing a get well bouquet on me but I decided on this. Did I screw up and buy the wrong thing?" Kid asked, nervously brushing the back of his hair.

Maka was pulled out of her daydream and looked back at Kid "No, no they're beautiful. I've just never seen some of these before. The orchids are gorgeous. I have to be honest I don't know what these green buds are but they're really pretty. I never seen anything put together so beautifully before."

Patty smiled smugly and slapped Kid on the back. "You did a good job Aniki."

"You did this yourself?" Maka asked in surprise.

Kid looked frightened and nodded in defeat. "Yeah. The orchids are called cymbidium orchids and the green buds are hypericum" Maka was counting the roses and she immediately began worrying about the price.

"Kid-kun there are over three dozen roses here! This had to be expensive, why did you do it?"

"I've got the money to play around with. I have a part time job along with the reaping and school stuff."

"Part time job, how on earth do you find the time? I can barely go on missions and get my homework done, and you're a grim reaper and have a part time job on top of all that." Maka slumped into the chair feeling tired all the sudden.

"Well, I'm not trying real hard to be at the top of the class in school, so I have more time."

Maka blushed. "I'd hug you both but I'm afraid I'll get you sick."

Kid felt his body draw to hers and he hugged Maka anyway. "You can hug me for both of us. I can't get sick, remember?" Maka kissed his cheek and squeezed him.

"Thank you Kid-Kun, you're so sweet."

Patty tried to muffle a cackle as Kid took a seat at the kitchen table.

"I know this sounds stupid but were you two over here yesterday? I kind of remember you being here but I was so sick I only got bits and pieces." Maka complained

"Yeah, we were the ones that discovered you were running a fever." Patty said happily. "Maka is it okay if I use your kitchen? Your throat sounds real bad and I think maybe we should make you some tea."

Maka nodded and Patty put the kettle on to boil. She snapped off a popsicle, extended one to Maka and put the other in her own mouth. Maka took it and fumbled around with her messy hair.

"I'll do it for you." Kid chirped, heading off to the bathroom to retrieve a brush.

As soon as Kid left the room, Patty smiled slyly and bent toward Maka. "You know he is really into you. I mean completely nuts. He has problems expressing it though."

Maka's face seemed to look shocked for a minute than embarrassed. "He has his ways of letting me know."

Patty grinned while she set three mugs down and poured hot tea in them. She nearly squashed the bear full of honey into the cups and dropped a quarter of a lemon in each. "He talks about you all the time. He's planning on getting you flowers for every day you're sick."

Maka blushed fiercely, "Wow. I don't know what to say about that."

"He's embarrassed though. Kiddo likes flowers and he's afraid you'll think he's girly because he knows all their names and he's so good at arranging them. He's kind of backward and innocent, so go easy on him."

"I think he's wonderful." Maka said dreamily.

"When you come over and spend the night, you can see the pictures Liz and I have of the things he's made us. Aniki does a lot of cool stuff."

"Where is Liz anyway? She's not sick is she?"

"Oh no, she's coming. She's at the café getting you some matzo ball soup."

"What's that?" Maka giggled at the name.

"It's Jewish penicillin," Kid answered as he came back into the kitchen, "It's like chicken noodle soup but instead of noodles it has dumplings in it."

"About the only good memory I have of my mother is that soup. Mom used to make that stuff for everything from sniffles to hangovers."

Kid looked at Patty, amazed. He'd never heard this story and he thought he knew everything there was to know about Patty and Liz.

Patty began yanking books out of her gym bag. "Anyway, Liz will be by later. Where is Soul?"

"I'm not sure actually. I woke up and he wasn't here. Neither was Papa but I'm not complaining about that. Maybe Soul took him out in the woods somewhere and buried him."

"Spirit probably ran Soul to Mira's. She's pretty interested in the black blood and how quickly he's getting well."

There was a knock at the door, and Patty bolted up out of her chair. "I'll get that, it's probably Sis."

Kid pulled his chair behind Maka's and began working the brush through her hair while he listened to the girls squabble over something in the living room. "I hope you don't mind us coming over. I know you're sick but Patty is really worried about you."

Maka looked over her shoulder at him. "Just Patty?"

Kid blushed a bit. "You know I'm worried about you, too. I was expecting you and Soul to still be down in bed."

"Well Soul's feeling much better, he was probably well enough to go to school today. Well at least I would have gone if I felt as good as he did."

Kid finished brushing Maka's hair and laid the brush down on the table. "You try to rush too much. You should take the time you need and get better. Patty brought your homework and I doubt you're going to fall behind considering everyone is skipping tomorrow because of the cat dissection."

"Are you skipping too?"

"I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind. I'm not really in the mood to dissect one of Blair's cousins."

Maka giggled and then began to coughing like she couldn't catch her breath. "I guess that means you're going on a mission too."

"Soups here!" Liz called out filing into the kitchen with Patty behind her, "Sorry it took me so long, I waited at the florist for Kid for ages. What's this about going on a mission?"

Kid dug the evil soul out of the grocery bag and tossed it to Liz, "Eat it, Patty has already had hers."

Liz delicately plucked at the soul and pushed it into her mouth.

Patty gave Maka another wide smile and showed her the container of soup. "See this is matzo ball soup."

"We don't have to go on a mission. I could come here tomorrow if you need me." Kid offered.

"No, take the mission; I don't want to keep you and the girls from grabbing up evil souls. Kieshen eggs take precedent." Maka answered.

"You know we could come over and review the lectures with you from school. That way you won't get behind in your studies. Actually, since you have all the homework you might even be able to get ahead. I have to admit it's hard for me to study on my own, sometimes I could use a tutor." Patty said charmingly.

"I don't want you guys to get behind by staying home with me."

"We won't. Maybe if I study with you I can get ahead too." Patty suggested.

Liz fell into her mothering mode."I don't know if that such a good idea. Maka's sick Patty."

"Well someone has to look in on Maka. What if she takes a turn and gets worse again?"

"You can study with Maka next week when she feels better."

"But-" Patty turned to Kid but he didn't offer much support. "Well fine! Next week then!"

Patty stormed out of the apartment with Liz at her heels. "Hey where are you going?" Liz cried

"To return the money I stole from the neighbors!" Patty snapped. Liz's eyes got wide and she started throwing out questions so quickly that neither Kid nor Maka could keep up. Annoyed, Patty grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her into the hall.

Kid shook his head. "She didn't really steal anything. She went door to door looking for witches and said she was selling cookies as cover. Some of your neighbors actually bought from her at ten dollars a box," he said ruefully.

"Oh?" was all Maka could say. "Wait, why was she looking for witches in my apartment complex?"

Kid tilted his head and ran his fingers through Maka's hair. "We think you might have gotten sick through an outside influence. Patty saw something that appears to be magic when you and Soul were in the bathroom. Were not certain yet, because the things she saw were Oni and Oni can pop up naturally and cause calamity. Not likely though. "

Maka slurped up some of the soup and nibbled on a few crackers.

"You know, if Patty really wants to come over and study it would be okay," Maka said, "Did Stein say anything more about that field trip?"

"Yeah, we're going to Haiti."

Maka raised an eyebrow. "But it's the middle of hurricane season!"

Kid chuckled, "Yes I thought the same thing but the class was duped into thinking it's going to be a mini vacation and everyone one is dying to get away from the cold weather. Liz is already choosing a bathing suit."

Maka blushed a little, "Bathing suit, yeah, good thing I'm sick and can't go."

"Oh didn't I mention that it's going to be next week since the class is ditching tomorrow to go on missions? He's rescheduled it for next Friday."

"So are you going to come over here with Patty the rest of the week to study?" Maka asked softly.

Kid eyed her slyly. "Sure. If I could, I'd just stay here and baby while you're sick."

Maka face flushed over and immediately her hand went up to her forehead checking herself for a temperature.

Kid leaned in close, just centimeters away from her lips. "Feeling flush?"

Maka immediately leapt out of her chair and went to the sink, turning her back to Kid as she pounded down two glasses of water. "I'm fine, just fine. You can do what you like; come over, stay at home, doesn't matter to me." She rattled nervously.

Kid's heart sank, and then he noticed how red Maka's ears looked from behind. He got up from his chair and casually wrapped an arm around her waist, letting his fingertips trace along her bare stomach.

"You really don't care and here I though you liked me." he pouted, teasing her.

"I never said that I didn't like you." She stammered, slipping away from him and back to the table to clean up the carton of soup she had finished. Even though she was sick she was perilously close to jumping him again and it embarrassed her to no end.

"Then it's settled; the girls and I will stop by after school, and next week when you feel better you guys can have a slumber party at my house. If you're worried about not having a bathing suit, maybe you three can go shopping."

Maka blushed over a second time "So I'll see you tomorrow, I guess?"

Kid captured Maka in his arms again and something about holding her just made the world slip away. He lowered his mouth to hers, hoping she would close the distance and kiss him and whispered against her lips, "Every day if you want, at least till you get sick of me hanging around so much."

"I don't think that's ever going to happen." Maka murmured.

Kid watched as Maka turned even redder. She looked so cute, all nervous and fidgeting, unable to meet his eyes. It made him hungry and he slid his lips over her collar bone. Maka gave a little moan as his hands and lips moved down her body, sending little sparks of electricity up and down her spine. Her leg rose involuntarily. She felt Kid drag it around him and cup the back of her knee with his fingers.

"We're in the kitchen." Maka whispered breathily, leaning toward him.

Kid grinned widely and pressed his lips down on hers, nibbling at her lower lip. The front door flew open, smacking against the wall and Kid released Maka when he heard Soul's voice.

"I told you I'm fine already. I don't see why you had to run me over to that Nygus woman"

Spirit sounded annoyed. "Listen here, midget; because of you I had to leave my darling Maka's side and everyone knows you want your Daddy when you're sick. You can at least be grateful that I thought it was important to take you to the doctor. Who's ever heard of green sweat anyway?"

Kid backed away to the other side of the kitchen and snickered to himself. Listening Spirit was completely transparent, as usual. He complained a lot but it was obvious he just had a knack with children and enjoyed hovering over people. Soul didn't seem to understand his parenting style though.

"I don't remember you being invited over here, do us a favor and find your way out." Soul barked.

Soul tromped his way into the kitchen to find Maka looking flustered and Kid on the other side of the room. "Great, you're here too."

Soul fell down in the chair as Spirit chased in after him.

"Somebody has to look after the two of you." Spirit argued.

Souls turned to Kid, "We can look after ourselves we don't need any one else." He said pointedly.

Spirit noticed Maka and all argument ceased from him. "Maka honey what are you doing up? You're sick honey, go get back in bed."

"Kid brought me flowers aren't they pretty?" Maka asked.

Spirit eyed the bouquet "Ah, get well flowers. Lot of roses in there for a get well bouquet; did the florist up sell you Kid?"

Kid blushed over red and looked at the floor instead of at Spirit. "Yeah I guess she probably did. I'll try harder tomorrow." Kid mumbled.

Maka giggled a bit and chewed on her lip. "I think they're pretty. Much better than a grocery store bouquet."

"If you want to go all stupid and fatherly why aren't you doing something about him?" Soul spat pointing at Kid.

Spirit looked up at the way Kid was blushing and narrowed his eyes at him. "He's just being nice, right Kiddo? Did Mort suggest you to bring them?"

Kid shook his head, amazed. He didn't understand how Spirit would come up with that conclusion. He also hadn't known that Spirit knew his father's real name. His dad was usually pretty secretive about his personal life. Evidently he trusted Spirit enough to tell him something things about his life before he became the acting Lord Death. The two of them were obviously closer than he thought.

"Who's Mort?" Soul questioned

"No one!" Spirit and Kid shot out simultaneously.

"Then why would 'no one' ask Kid to bring over a gaudy bouquet of hotel flowers?" Soul turned his eyes on Spirit and then to Kid, who was beginning to sweat under his gaze.

"Gee, look at the time! I guess I'd better figure out where Patty and Liz ran off to." Kid stumbled over to Maka, tripping over his own feet, and slid a business card out of his pocket. "If you need anything," Kid looked back at Spirit and revised his comment. "If you need anything and your father's asleep and you don't want to wake him, give me a call. That's my cell phone number, and I've got it on at all times."

Maka looked at the business card and saw the name on it wasn't Kid's. It also said 'funeral director' and had the name of a cemetery and a funeral parlor on it.

"Who is Keith D. Thaed?"

"You're smart, figure it out." Kid smiled and said no more.

Maka turned the business card over a few times and began re-arranging the letters. "Anagram" she called hoarsely as she followed Kid to the door.

Kid smiled at her. "Told you you were smart. I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe I'll get the bouquet right."

Maka looked back at him, confused. "I thought you chose the flowers?" She whispered into his ear.

"Sssh, pipe down! Don't tell them, okay?" Kid whispered, giving Maka a friendly hug while staring at Spirit to make sure he made no sudden movements.

"Why?" Maka questioned.

Kid got the feeling she didn't want to let him go. "Because it's unmanly and they'll laugh at me."

"Why do you have a business card with an anagram of your name and the name of a funeral parlor on it?"

Kid watched Spirit's face change as Maka continued to hug him. She was hanging on too long and Daddy was getting pissed. Kid quickly pried her off him "Do your homework, got to go, get better!"

"Kid, where are Patty and Liz anyway?" Spirit called out suspiciously. His jaw was set in a hard line and he came to hold the door open for Kid.

"They were here, but Patty had some money to return to a couple of Maka's neighbors. School fundraiser got canceled. See you tomorrow!" Kid quickly made his escape around Spirit's arm and out the door.

"What did he mean by that?" Soul muttered, cleaning out his ear with his finger.

"Kid and Patty have offered to bring me this week's lectures so I won't fall behind. They're going to study with me after school, too." Maka smiled but suddenly felt tired all over. She slumped down on the couch.

"Well that's certainly nice of them." Spirit cooed and sat down on the couch next to his daughter. "Don't want you falling behind considering my baby is at the top of the class. You know Daddy could look over your homework assignments for you after you get them finished."

Maka stared at Spirit, annoyed. "Yeah, I think I'll pass."

"Don't you see old man, she'd rather have Lord Death's son do it." Soul commented snidely and slapped Spirit on the back.

"Okay, I think you're well enough to go to school tomorrow." Spirit growled, pointing his finger in Soul's face.

"Oh no, I'm still deathly ill, that's why we had to go see Mira Nygus," Soul countered, "That woman is no better than Stein. Only thing she wants to do is poke and prod me."

"You deserve it, you mutant little octopus. Maybe next time she'll use the big needles."

Soul cracked his knuckles and flopped down in the second hand recliner. "Wait, does that mean Patty and Kid are coming over every day for the rest of the week?"

Maka slipped her history book out of the bag Patty had given her and cuddled up on the couch. "Yeah, every day."

"Jesus, Maka what the hell were you thinking? You don't want that guy hanging on you that much. Talk about smothering! Kid and Patty will be annoying as shit, do you really want to put up with them while you're sick? You ought to stay away from him."

"I like spending time with Kid and Patty. Patty really came through for me today. She got my books all my homework, hell she even brought over more popsicles. And you'll be happy to know she brought bomb pops too."

"You mean the red white and blue ones?" Soul asked greedily.

"Yeah they brought you soup, too. Some kind of dumpling stuff. I forgot the name."

Soul began rummaging through the kitchen. "Okay, I take that back. Patty isn't half bad. But you should still put some distance between you and Kid."

Maka snorted. "You were right Papa; the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Spirit laughed whole heartedly. "You doubted me. Not like you need to worry about that kind of stuff anyway."

Maka gave him an enigmatic smile and a mixture of emotion played on her face. "Um…yeah, I guess not. I'm going to go study in my room until I get sleepy."

"You want me to bring your stuff in for you? This is a pretty big pile of books." Spirit asked hopefully.

"No, I'm not going to be up that long. I'm already tired."

"You want me to make you some soup?"

"Sorry, already eaten. Kid brought me soup."

Spirit slumped to the couch, defeated. He just couldn't win with his little girl, and that meant another fun filled evening of Soul trying to kick him out and Spirit watching basic television because his daughter wouldn't take money to pay for cable. He flipped on the TV, dissatisfied, and found three channels all showing wrestling.

"For Christ sake, don't they play anything after seven o'clock that doesn't have men cuddling each other in tights?"

"Ooh the Undertaker is on! Looks like he came out of retirement." Soul jumped happily onto the sofa with a popsicle in one hand and a bowl of soup in the other.

"Don't tell me you watch this stuff!"

"What, you don't? Maka said you liked sports."

"Wrestling is not a sport! Now, maybe the east coast mixed martial art stuff could be but this is all scripted."

Soul looked up from his soup annoyed. "You know me and Black Star trade wrestling fan fiction with a couple of the guys at school. It's pretty good stuff. You should read it; it might change your mind about it."

Spirit wiped his hand down his face, annoyed. "My daughter doesn't watch this, does she?"

"Who, Maka? Of course not, miss bookworm only touches the TV when they're playing some dumb book made into a movie. Or when Black Star brings over a Kung Fu movie or a zombie flick."

"Black Star still does that?" Spririt questioned.

He didn't like the fact that Soul knew his daughters likes and dislikes more than he did. It felt like Maka was slipping away. Ever since the divorce their relationship had gone from strained to almost nonexistent. It bothered him immensely and Spirit felt like he'd do nearly anything to get his daughter back. Or just get her to hate him a little less. Spirit found himself growing more annoyed sitting in front of the TV and decided he needed something to distract himself with. He tore a page from one of Maka's notebooks and began jotting down ideas for the next post card he would send to Maka. He had a stack of them sitting on his dresser at home, each collected from different places to present the illusion that Kami hadn't just run out on the two of them. He scribbled out a few notes but found it was becoming harder and harder to keep up the lie. He honestly couldn't imagine what Kami was doing or why she never wrote or bothered to call. Had she completely forgotten she had a daughter? Spirit sighed and ran his hands over the beard stubble that was forming. The lying was horrible, but necessary. Deep down, Spirit knew Kami would come back someday. It was just a matter of when. He wrote down a few inspirational sentences and then scratched out another.

'Dear Maka, please make the best of the relationship you still have and forgive you father.' Spirit crossed it out with the ink pen as soon as he wrote it. Maka would never believe that her mother would say that. She would believe her mother was taking pictures in Egypt for some magazine but she would never believe that Kami would want her to forgive him. If she actually cherished their daughter as much as Spirit did, she would have taken Maka with her after all the court had awarded her full custody. But before the divorce was even final she'd put the down payment on this place so her daughter could leave the family home and shack up with her partner. It was like she was glad to be rid of the entire mess. There was something about that act that had a bit of finality to it.

Spirit heard Maka coughed deeply from down the hall and felt the same tickle in his throat. Except his was caused by emotion not by some cold from the mutant squid he was sharing the couch with. He folded up the paper and shoved it into his pocket. He had enough to fill three postcards to send to Maka. Three more lies to add to the stack of hundreds he had told since the divorce.

"You okay man? You aren't getting sick too, are you?" Soul questioned seeing Spirits face.

"No, just allergies."

Soul broke off the other end of his popsicle and handed it to Spirit. "I'm just getting well, don't cough all over me."

Spirit took the popsicle and shoved it his mouth. He bit down on the icy concoction and spoke softly so that Maka couldn't hear him from her room. "Have Kid and the girls been coming over a lot?"

"More than I want them too."Soul complained. "Kid's starting to get clingy."

Spirit noticed a tad bid of jealousy in Souls voice but remained silent. He realized the boy liked his daughter, a little too much. But lucky for Maka, Soul was a complete idiot and didn't even realize it himself. The moment Soul did realize how he felt about her, Spirit planned on having Maka out of here so fast that she wouldn't know what hit her. There was no way that he would ever accept Soul Evans as his son-in-law. He'd been picking out colleges in Japan for just such an occasion. Maka could go study abroad, explore her Japanese heritage and visit with her Grandma and Grandpa.

After a good thirty minutes of watching TV, Soul was laying back in the recliner with his mouth open, snoring loudly. Spirit scooped him up and trudged down the hallway to put the brat in bed. He casually looked in on Maka, expecting to get a pillow in the face, and saw she was out like a light too. He stepped into the room, quietly removing a book from under her body and laid it gently on the desk. He then took the liberty of planting a kiss on her forehead and covering her up. Maka yawned in her sleep and rolled over away from him and Spirit sighed heavily. On her desk was a stack of postcards from different places tied up neatly with one of her old hair ribbons. His lies showing her that her mother still cared about her and thought of her frequently. Spirit choked back a sob. Why hadn't Kami come home? Even her own parents had no clue of where she was and they called Spirit frequently to ask about their daughter's whereabouts. Spirit always directed the calls to Maka, who came up with a thousand excuses why her mother couldn't call them.

"Papa" Maka whispered softly.

Spirit kneeled down on the floor to look at her. "Go back to sleep honey. I was just turning off the light."

"Papa can you get me some water? My mouth feels like I've got a wad of cotton in it."

Spirit went into the kitchen and came back with the water and saw that Maka had already fallen back asleep. He placed the water beside the bed and headed out to his bed on the couch. After lying down he mumbled to himself.

"This is what it should feel like. Being a father, looking after a family. Too bad it won't last."

Spirit yawned and flipped off the TV. "Kami how come you've forgotten this feeling? Are you staying away for a reason or have you just moved on? It's going to be a long week." Spirit mumbled to himself before falling asleep.

By the end of the week, things had improved. Spirit had gone home; Maka kicking him out soon as she had the strength to argue. Kid had kept his promise and delivered flowers every day that Maka stayed home from school and Soul complained at both Kid and Patty for being in the house constantly. Maka stretched her back, thinking about how her home had changed from shabby into a flower shop in less than a week. She flicked off the towel she had wrapped around herself after showering and began to get dressed.

She smiled happily. She was feeling good and the morning light shone into her room to dance off one of the many bouquets and presents that littered her room. Soul had had an absolute tantrum about the flowers filling up the house, so Maka had brought them all into her bedroom. There were vases sitting on the floor, on the window sill, on the bookshelves and on every other flat surface she could find. She tiptoed around the vases happily. Sure it was impractical, and she should have told Soul to piss off and let her decorate the house with them. But she didn't. She left all those nasty little thoughts buried inside the gnarls of her mind. After all, Soul had been sick too and more over she just didn't feel like fighting with him.

Besides she liked having all the imaginative arrangements together. It was like being in a conservatory where you could see pretty flowers from all over the world blooming at once. She ran her finger tips down a wilting tulip and it dropped its' purple petals onto her desk.

The morning sunlight and her renewed health made everything seem good; overall she was in an excellent mood and full of energy. Maka slid all her work into her school bag, dressed quickly and stopped in the kitchen to grab a pastry that her father had brought over. I was a day old but still fresh enough to eat.

She swallowed the thing down in three large bites and sprinted out the door, happy to be getting out of the house and headed back to school. She had all her homework and had completed all the assignments but she was still worried that Ox was doing something sneaky to get ahead of her.

She found Ox sitting on the stairs in front of the school trying to chat up Kim Diehl, who was mostly ignoring him.

"Hey, you've returned from the dead!" Kim commented cheerfully.

"Yeah it felt like that a couple of times. Hey thanks for stopping by and using your powers on me I probably wouldn't be back this fast if you hadn't."

"A whole week really isn't that fast." Killik interjected.

Kim wrinkled up her nose, "Yeah it is considering how bad she was when I went over. I'm sorry I couldn't have healed you up before we left on the mission. So what did you do with all those flowers?" she said slyly.

Maka didn't respond she just blushed over from head to toe.

"What flowers?" Jacqueline asked.

Kim giggled brightly. "The flowers from Death the Kid. You should have seen them all, Maka's bedroom looks like an ad from gardening magazine."

"He got you flowers?" Jacqueline squealed and both girls looped arms with Maka, shutting the boys out as they walked into the building.

"Dish! You've got to tell me all about it." Jacqueline squealed, "Have you two been sneaking around or is he trying to come onto you?"

Ox laughed and tried to break into the conversation. "Kid bought you a whole mess of flowers? What does Soul think?"

"Wait, why the hell is Kid buying Maka flowers? What about Liz and Patty?" Killik puzzled.

"Rumor has it Kid even did the cat dissection instead of taking a mission just so he could take notes for you." Kim licked her lips, noticing Maka was turning redder and redder.

Killik's face contorted in horror, "No way! He came to school on lab day? Gross!"

"I'd say he's got it bad." Jacqueline giggled.

Killik rubbed his hand through his curly hair, "Come on, Maka at say something! Is it true?"

"I…well he..." Maka stumbled trying to find the words. She hadn't realized she and Kid were being gossiped about.

"Maka!" Patty screamed from the entrance of the school. She ran at warp speed down the hall toppling spectators and jumped on Maka's back, hugging her fiercely, "Are you better? Did Kim's magic work?"

"Of course it worked! We're talking about my magic, I'm not some third rate witch you know!" Kim replied confidently.

Maka regained her balance and pulled Patty's legs around her body, carrying the other girl piggyback. "Yep I'm all better! Back and ready to stomp Ox's butt."

"My butt? Why me?" Ox complained, trying to clean off his glasses.

"That's great, now we can have our sleepover!" Patty sang, flipping Maka's pigtails.

"Yeah, I promised right?"

"So where's the octopus?" Patty asked spurring Maka to carry her to class.

"Still in bed, I think. I wanted to get here early today and see what was on the mission board."

"Oh you don't want to take any supplemental lessons this week! Friday is the field trip." Ox announced happily.

"I can't wait either; cool drinks, warm summer breezes," Kim said, "Me and Jackie were flying over the mountains yesterday and some of them already have snow on them. That means it can't be too far off for us."

"Snow," Jacqueline whined "I am so not ready for snow yet. It's not even Halloween and its already looking like snow."

"Snow is fine with me. Soon as it hits I'm going snowboarding." Killik answered happily. He bumped shoulders with Harvar and the two them exchanged a complicated boy handshake.

"You talking about boarding already?" Harvar asked as he joined them.

"You know it! Not many other good sports to do around here unless you go to Lake Tahoe. Too bad we don't have a football team or a soccer team like a normal high school."

"Lord Death believes sports programs take away from our studies, and between gym, training and missions we get plenty of exercise." Maka commented automatically. "Besides, we have our sports day."

"Yeah, once a year." Killik complained.

"So are you coming over tonight or tomorrow?" Patty asked, ignoring the other students. She hopped down from Maka's back and grabbed Soul's chair in the lecture hall.

"Probably tomorrow. Monday nights are my night to cook." Maka answered.

Patty growled. "Make him cook his own food; you've been sick for a whole week! Sis can cook for us tonight."

"Oooh, a slumber party! Am I invited?" Ox gave them a perverted grin.

Kim took the opportunity to backhand Ox so hard that she nearly knocked him out of his chair. "You said I was your one and only and then you say something like that!"

"Uh oh, here they go again." Jacqueline sighed.

"But snooky-kins aren't you going? I thought if the girls were having a slumber party you'd be there. After all you and Jacqueline are friends with Liz and Patty."

Patty giggled to herself before singing out, "It's not a slumber party, Maka is just coming to spend the night."

Maka giggled, watching Kim throw another punch for good measure. "Where are Liz and Kid this morning?"

"At home. I had a feeling you'd be here today so I left early. Kid is going to be hot when he finds out he has to take the car to school today. He hates riding in his dad's Ford Fairlane. It smells like mothballs and incense."

"Lord Death owns a Ford Fairlane? I don't even know what kind of car that is."

"It's black and has big fins on the back, kind of like the bat mobile. It's not the cool one with the drop top, though. Aniki calls it the vampire mobile"

Liz stomped into the room her cowboy boots thundering against the tile floor. "Patty, where the hell have you been? You know Kid won't fly when he feels unbalanced. We had to take the car."

"See, told ya!" Patty giggled, ribbing Maka.

"Kid won't fly when he's unbalanced? Guess he never flies then." Soul commented, entering the room behind Liz.

The boys laughed at Soul's awful joke and immediately began circling their ring leader.

"Whoa, you lazy bum - bout time you came back to school." Killik got up and bumped shoulders with Soul. Soul slapped down his books in front of Patty and dropped into the chair on the other side of Maka.

"Somebody has to look after the bookworm when she gets sick." Soul announced happily. He didn't see the frown form on Maka's face.

"Ha that's not what I hear; word is Death the Kid has sort of replaced you." Jacqueline countered.

Soul looked at Maka in astonishment, and she shook her head no. Soul immediately went on the defensive. "Yeah that's bullshit. You guys been so bored with me gone you're inventing rumors about Maka and me. That's cool I get it."

Patty face furrowed and she bit her tongue till it bled. She was ready to just start busting everyone's skull open. No one needed to talk about Kid and Maka, and Soul was just making things worse.

He hadn't done shit for the last week. She had picked up groceries, helped Spirit with laundry, dusted - even sat through a cat dissection to bring them notes. That idiot hadn't done a thing to look after Maka. She imagined her mouth opening wide enough to bite off Soul's head and then decided clobbering him would be easier.

She felt eyes on her and noticed both Maka and Liz were staring at her, waiting for the impending outburst.

"Hey you okay?" Maka whispered to her.

"Yeah, just peachy." Patty sang like a child.

Maka frowned she was learning to see though the act and could sense Patty anger forming. "So what are we going to do tomorrow?"

"Oh you're finally coming over?" Liz chirped cheerfully, "You _are_ all better, right?"

Soul snapped around, "You're going over to The Gallows to spend the night? When?"

Maka pulled a page out of her notebook and handed it to Patty. "Can you make me a giraffe? I want a small one to sit in my window next to the monkey and the crane you made me."

Patty began folding the paper, happy for the distraction and because Maka was ignoring Soul.

"Well you can't go tonight," Soul proclaimed, "it's your turn to cook."

Maka watched an icy look blanket Patty features, but Liz was the one to speak up. "Um… hasn't Spirit been cooking for you guys almost all week? Surely you can feed yourself?"

"Yeah but we take turns with the chores. It's Maka's night."

"Well Maka is going to be away!" Liz huffed. "So I guess you're going to have to put your daddy pants on tonight and feed yourself."

Soul gaped with his mouth open, and Patty began laughing in hysterics.

"I don't see why you girls can't sleep over at our house. There's no reason to have it at The Gallows."

"Uh, yeah there is stupid, it's where we live, and your place is small. No offense Maka. I know you try hard to keep a lovely house."

"None taken." Maka replied shyly.

"She's not going. She just got over being sick and she's not going." Soul said with finality.

Maka's eyes blazed with anger. Fire rolled up her spine and off her tongue. "Who put you in charge of me, Soul? You don't tell me what I can and can't do."

"We're a team, you know that. You can't just go traipsing off to The Gallows; you've been half dead for a week! Besides, don't you have work to catch up on?"

"Unlike you I took the time to get ahead in my work. I got all of last week's stuff done and this week's. I hardly think my studies or just getting over a cold is any of your concern."

Soul looked at Maka apologetically and rubbed her arm. "Let's just talk about this tonight at home. You're making a scene and the professor is bound to walk in here any minute."

"I'm making a scene?" Maka snapped. She turned to Liz, "I have to go home a pack after school. Could you guys pick me up around four?"

"Sure thing." Liz replied. Soul started to protest, but Professor Mari-Weather walked into the room and he had to settle for giving Liz an evil look.

"Okay, looks like we're missing Kid, Black Star and Tsubaki today. On a good note we got Maka and Soul back. Where is Kid?" Professor Mari-Weather looked around the room and her huge plastic earrings clinked against the oversized beads around her neck.

"He's busy with his other duties." Liz announced and the professor nodded, her white cat's eye glasses sliding down her nose. "Oh well, I guess that can't be helped. Take good notes for him. And where are Black Star and Tsubaki?"

"Still gone on a mission." Killik offered.

"Maka, can you please make sure they get the notes from today's lecture? Today we're going to learn about mathematical witch craft and how witches can use simple algebraic equations to form spells.

Kim's hand shot up. "I never use math to cast a spell."

Mari-Weather eyed Kim suspiciously "You probably do and don't even know it. You see, every time you repeat the name of an animal in different forms; it creates an equation that can be patterned and modified to achieve differing results. For instance, you use mostly the same rhymes each time to get healing effects. If you put emphasis on different syllables, you will actually get a different spell entirely. What I'm teaching you to do is to predict what type of spell is being thrown at you based on the pattern of word."

"Like poetry..." Maka answered out of turn. "There are set numbers and patterns and specific rhyming schemes based on mathematical principals."

Mari-weather gleamed at Maka happily. "Exactly what I was talking about! So good to have you back Maka."

"Kim since you're the only witch in this class other than me why don't you come down here and we'll show the class what I mean."

Liz listened to the lecture drone on and watched Maka and Ox answer questions and take notes. The two of them were competing to see who was the biggest know it all, in her opinion. Patty was actually taking notes for once, whispering questions to Maka about different topics but Liz couldn't care less.

She occupied herself by staring at the back of Soul's head. That boy had some nerve saying that he'd been at home taking care of Maka after all the work Patty, Kid and Liz had sunk into the two of them. Liz was more than a little miffed. She would fix him. Liz didn't understand for a second why Soul thought he could tell Maka how to run her social life. That was more than an overprotective partner talking, that was just plain male egotism and jealously. Liz figured the real reason Soul didn't want Maka leaving was that she'd be under the same roof with Kid without Soul's supervision.

Mari-Weather set her sights on Liz. "Liz can you explain the mathematical structure of a sonnet?"

Liz jumped nervously. _No, of course I can't. _ She looked down at Maka who was trying to mouth the answer to her but she couldn't understand a word of it.

Patty answered for her. "It's 14 lines, each line containing ten syllables and written in iambic pentameter, in which a pattern of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable is repeated five times."

The class was so silent you could hear the crickets outside and then Mari-Weather whooped gleefully. "Wow! Somebody studied well! Maybe you should give a few pointers to your older sister." Patty grinned insanely and Liz watched Maka low five her under the desk.

School ticked by without incident for the rest of the day. As soon as the final bell rang, Liz and Patty headed home to make sleepover preparations. Kid rolled in about a half-hour later, exhausted and looking horrible.

"What the hell happened to you?" Liz asked, staring in shock.

"Work." Kid croaked darkly, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Reaper work? or Part-time Job Work?" Patty questioned.

"Reaper work." Kid wheezed trying to catch his breath. "Did I miss anything today?"

"Maka's back at school," Patty sang happily "She's feeling better."

"Yeah, and Soul doesn't want to let her come and have a girls' night out." Liz told him.

Patty clapped her hands gleefully. "So we're taking her anyway!"

Kid covered his eyes. "Great. Soul's gonna love me for that."

Liz cackled loudly, "Oh, like you don't want us to steal your girlfriend for you. I promised Maka we'd come and get her, so we're going to need to take the car again tonight." Liz told him.

"If you're taking my father's car, I do need to know it isn't going to get messed up."

Liz huffed and shot Kid an evil look. She was the only one of the three with a driver's license. Kid was just months away from the most coveted of symbols of teenage freedom and he was already worrying about things like insurance and picking out the perfect automobile. He stroked his hair down nervously. She could tell already he was going to be one of those folks who washed and waxed their car every Sunday, and obeyed every speed limit and traffic law. Kid was too much of a stickler for rules not to obey them.

"Why don't you come with us? If you're worried about pissing Soul off, just sit in the back seat and make sure daddy's precious car doesn't take a beating. I don't even know why Lord Death keeps a car. It's not like he can drive it since he's stuck in the netherworld."

"I'm going to get him out of there and his car will be waiting for him." Kid said softly and Liz glared at him.

"You need to give up that fantasy, Kiddo. Face facts; the grim reaper role is all yours, baby brother. Lord Death is just the administrator. You're the one who's going to do all the leg work, even after you take over as head honcho."

Kid glowered at Liz darkly but his anger quickly turned to depression and he didn't say anything else.

"I'll come and sit in the car." he mumbled, defeated.

Patty cheered happily and pecked him on the cheek. "Don't worry Aniki; you'll cheer up once you get to play with Maka."

Kid gave Patty a wry grin but his heart just wasn't in it. "You're probably right. It will be nice being able to talk to her without Spirit or Soul listening."

He was dead tired, but he forced himself into the library to get on the computer and work until Liz and Patty knocked on the door.

"Hey, don't get too immersed in the part-time job stuff. We have to pick Maka up."

"Are we going to have dinner first?" Kid asked, not looking up from his email.

"No, we're going to get her right now. I figure we'll eat after the kidnapping." Liz replied.

"I guess we'd best get this over with," Kid sighed, "I don't suppose I can stay here and finish working, right?"

Liz and Patty rolled their eyes and didn't honor him with a response. Instead they turned on their heels and headed for the garage, where they got into the car and waited for him. Kid reluctantly slid into the back seat of the Ford Fairlane. He yawned sleepily. Today had been one of the most involved reaping days of his life and he was mentally and physically exhausted.

Liz pulled out of the drive way and Kid noticed that there were crows everywhere, which was odd because the Death Elementals usually shooed away any other types of birds. Ravens were territorial and had a knack for scaring off other animals.

Kid leaned against the cool glass window and closed his eyes. He heard the car doors open but didn't bother to look. He wanted to go, but it wasn't worth a scene with Soul. In the meantime he'd grab a quick nap so that he'd be rested enough to spend some time with Maka.

"I thought I said she wasn't going." Soul growled when he opened the door.

"I don't get what's with you lately? How dare you make decisions for me? You make me sound like I'm some child that you always have to babysit." Maka yelled from the couch.

Liz waved at Maka. "We're rescuing you from male chauvinism and tyranny. You've been cooped up in this house too long and you and Soul are grating on each other's nerves."

Maka nodded, agreeing. "Let me go get my things." She ran into her room and came out with her book bag and an overnight case. Soul glared at her and didn't say a word as the girls filed out of the apartment.

"God, I hope he's not too mad." Maka rattled on nervously.

Liz rolled her eyes, annoyed. "You treat him like he's your father. Like what he says is finite. You can't do that with men. They walk all over you if you let them make all the decisions, you have to show them who's the boss regularly or else they start to think they can control you."

"Really?" Maka questioned surprised.

"Do you see Kid yelling at us about going out with boys or going out at night?"

"Well, no"

"That's because our relationship is a democracy."

"More like a Liz-ocracy" Patty corrected.

"Damn strait whole world should be a Liz-ocracy." Liz proclaimed curling her bicep up

Liz pointed to the car. "We're in the black Ford over there, that one that looks like a cross between a hearse and the bat mobile."

"Shotgun." Patty yelled darting for the front seat as Liz got in the driver's side. Maka opened rear door and saw Kid leaning against the window, fast asleep. Patty reached again for the radio and a bass-filled song began thumping through the speakers.

Maka chuckled and adjusted her hair. "Won't Kid-kun wake up?"

"You kidding me? He'll sleep like the dead tonight. He was gone all day one some big reap on the equator and he's been up all night already."

"Hell wake up soon don't worry." Patty said "We're going to have so much fun tonight!"

"Yes we will!" Liz said slapping her hands against the steering wheel. "We'll paint each other's nails and eat junk food and stay up all night watching movies and reading magazines. We'll really pig out too."

Liz turned the corner and Kid slid from his place from the window and leaned against Maka.

"God, he turns into such a pervert when he's unconscious." Patty giggled as Maka tried to maneuver Kid's head from her breast to her shoulder, taking care to be extra gentle with him.

"You do know that you can't hurt him that easily, right?" Liz said, eyeing Maka in the mirror. She revved the car again and Kid slid against Maka's body and burrowed his face into her chest again.

"I… I… I don't know what you mean" Maka said stammering.

Patty undid her safety belt. She climbed into the back seat with both Kid and Maka and ripped Kid's head off Maka by the hair.

"We mean you don't have to baby him all the time and put up with his crap." Liz tossed Patty a lighter and Patty flicked it on under Kid's hand. Maka's eyes went wide and she snatched Kid's hand away. She inspected it under the light from the window and found not even red mark. Kid himself was just snuggling deeper into Maka, undisturbed by the heat of the flame.

"How?" Maka stammered.

Liz laughed, "Fire, ice, poisons – you name it and he's immune to it."

"Well duh, Kiddo is immune to death." Patty said knowingly, a hint of psychotic laughter in her giggle. "He's got forever to live all alone in Death City. Same as his old man does."

Maka tightened her grip on Kid. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Well Kiddo's immortal and all because he's the personification of Death. When his father retires Kiddo has to take over, and he'll assume the role of the Grim Reaper and all the responsibilities that come with it. Including protecting Death City. I think Kiddo worries that he's gonna have to sit in the Never After like his father does day after day."

"That's awful! Why would Shinigami-sama do that that to Kid-kun?" Maka asked, horrified.

"Because he's Lord Death's only son. His fate has pretty much been sealed from birth." Liz said sadly.

"But why does he have to be alone?" Maka shuddered, thinking back to the strange and empty house that Shinigami-sama called home.

"Kid keeps turning down all his arranged marriages." Patty said gleefully, "Because he doesn't want anyone to be stuck with him forever in the Never-After."

"I won't let that happen! I won't let Kid become trapped like that!" Maka said, anger in her voice that quickly turned to resolve.

"That means you're on our side." Patty said happily.

"We don't want that to happen to Kid either." Liz added sorrowfully.

"It's doesn't matter anyway." Death the Kid said softly. He yawned and noticed he was being held. He looked up at Maka and saw the sad look in her eyes.

"Don't let Patty and Liz worry you; it will be some time before that happens. What did I miss?" he asked sleepily.

"Soul and I argued and then Liz and Patty came and got me out of the house." Maka smiled and rubbed something from her eyes.

Liz pulled up in front of The Gallows and Kid reluctantly sat up. They headed into the house and Liz ordered him to take Maka's bags upstairs while she started dinner.

"See? You gotta keep guys in line." Liz sang happily, plopping some shrimp down on the long counter top and pulling their tails off. She breaded them in a thin layer of tempura and panko and set them to float in a pan of hot grease.

Maka stomach gurgled at the smell of the food, "That smells good," she said moving to a stool at the bar. "What is all that?" she asked, looking at the assortment of frozen food that Liz was drowning in hot oil.

"Let's see, we got cheese poppers, fried cheese, fried chicken strips, Fried shrimp and some kind of fried vegetables that only Kiddo eats."

"It's zucchini, green tomatoes, mushrooms and onions." Kid said drolly, as he entered the kitchen. "Maka came over here for dinner and you're making her bar food? Disgusting."

Liz reached into the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of beer and popped the top on the counter. "Almost forgot!" she chirped and took a long swig from the bottle.

"I thought I poured all that stuff out." Kid said, pointing to the beer.

"I just got more." Elizabeth said offering Maka a sip from her bottle.

Maka shook her head, "I can't stand the stuff; it smells like my dad."

"I understand. Patty doesn't like it either because our mom used to reek of it." she said downing the bottle, "Beer tastes good with fried food though. I can't explain why, but it's probably why they sell so much fried stuff in bars."

"Did you used to work in bar?" Maka questioned Liz.

"Sometimes, to pay off our mother's tab." Patty answered quickly. "That's where Liz got a taste for beer. Of course mom split on us on a bunch of times till she left us for good. " Patty recalled, "But Sis learned how to cook because of it, and the barkeeps were always nice enough to let us wash dishes to pay for food. Even though we were both under age and shouldn't have been there."

Kid cringed; he hated hearing about the sisters' time on the streets. The thought of time spent mugging people, and stealing things, and working in bars made him want to vomit. He'd saved them from that, but he wished he could have saved them sooner.

Liz dumped a bunch of fried shapes onto paper towels and passed them to Kid. He put condiments into small dishes for dipping and arranged the hot, greasy tidbits into a wheel shaped pattern, trying to make symmetrical sections for each item.

Maka watched him fuss with the food until she couldn't stand it anymore and took the tray from him.

"It's going to get cold if you keep messing with it." she scolded and Kid stared back at her sheepishly. She and Patty dug in, grabbing one of everything on the tray.

"Save some for me!" Liz said opening another beer before attacking a jalapeño popper.

"You like this kind of food?" Kid questioned looking at Maka.

"It tastes good. This is the first time I've had most of this stuff." She said, biting into a fried green tomato, "My grandma taught me how to cook during the summers I spent visiting her in Japan and that Tsubaki has shown me things from time to time. I don't know how to make most of this."

Kid forked a fried green tomato and began to cut it up carefully. "So do you prefer Japanese food or American food like this?" he asked.

"I like it all!" Maka said happily, chomping down on a fried shrimp and chasing it down with a mushroom, "I think it's important to try all kinds of food. It helps you experience the world on plate. And it broadens your horizons. "

"I never really thought of it that way." Liz said happily. "Kiddo doesn't like the way I cook. He says it's too heavy and greasy."

"I think it's great! Tempura goes good with anything." Maka replied. Liz looked extremely happy over the compliment and gave Maka a huge hug.

You want to see something funny?" Kid asked her.

"Sure."

"Patty, go long!" Kid flung a piece of shrimp over the countertop and Maka watched as Patty jumped up and caught it in her mouth like a dog. She swallowed the shrimp whole and Maka to burst into laughter.

"Oh that's not the best one," Liz chimed in, "Patty, do flipper."

Patty began clapping and moving back and forth the floor like a dolphin, and caught a cheese stick in her mouth. Liz and Kid broke into hysterics and Maka nearly fell out of her chair laughing.

"How the heck do you do that?" she gasped, choking on her soft drink.

"It's a gift" Patty said proudly with an air of dignity that mimicked Kid's.

This made Kid laugh even harder and he quit slicing his food up and reached for a piece with his bare hands; forgetting a second about being refined, and not liking fried food or needing to cut thing up in symmetrical pieces. He watched Maka laugh and cough and felt nearly perfect. He couldn't even recall the list of chores he needed to do tonight, he was just happy to be eating with the girls and having fun.

Maka got up and began to clear the dishes and Kid noticed that she seemed to feel right at home. Patty snuck up behind her as she filled the sink with hot water and wrapped her in a bear hug.

"You don't have to do those, Kiddo does them. You're our guest anyway." Patty said, a sweet smile playing on her face.

"Is it just me or do you seem calmer when Maka is around Patty?" Liz commented.

"Maka's awesome. I just feel like a better person when I'm around her." Patty answered whole-heartedly. Maka blushed at the remark and Patty whispered "I'm just trying to tell you that you're the kind of person I'd like to be." and chomped down on Maka's ear affectionately. Maka scrambled backward into Kid who had already reached out his arms to stop her. Patty winked at Kid and took off out of the room making plane noises.

"What was I just saying about calm?" Liz muttered, getting up and going after her.

"She just bit me." Maka exclaimed.

"Yeah, she sort of does that." Kid explained, "Least that was the 'I'm playing with you' bite and not the 'I'm going to kill you bite.'"

He looked at Maka tenderly, then bent and kissed her cheek.

"You seem content" Maka whispered and Kid felt her reach out, probing his soul.

"I am very content right now," he smiled, snuggling into her arms, "I had a long and horrible day and waking up in the car feeling you all warm around me was wonderful, and seeing the way the girls seem to love you makes me extremely happy."

He kissed Maka's cheek again. "I just wish I could keep my eyes open longer." He yawned. "Have fun with the girls tonight. We still studying together tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure. Besides Patty said she'd kill me if I tried to weasel out."

"Good. I'll finish up here, why don't you go upstairs and hang out?"

Maka kissed him and scampered off.

"I need to thank Patty," Kid thought sleepily and began washing dishes. "I'll buy her a sundae with all 31 flavors from Death Robbins tomorrow."

He put the last of the dishes away and followed the sound of giggling up the stairs.


	7. Chapter 7

This Chapter was overhauled 11:19 Friday April 29 All chapters are being edited, if you don't see a similar message at the top of a chapter with a time signature Its still needs to be fixed more. I know about the errors they take time to fix them. Currently 1-7 are clean. 18-current is clean. I rewrite constantly to include symbolism more character development description, and overall mood of a chapter. This is also why new stuff is taking longer to come out.

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**Forever in the Never After Chapter 7: Our Slumber Party**

The sound of breaking glass startled Kid and made him jump as he reached the top of the stairs. He gripped the banister tightly, wincing at the sound. _Another mess to clean up_ he thought to himself. Patty and Liz rough housed a lot and the sound of things breaking was fairly normal; apparently the addition of Maka to the mix had no bearing on _that _situation. Still, the hushed giggling and the clatter of the broom against the dustpan made him anxious. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, resisting the urge to go peek in the girls' room. He smiled to himself, inwardly praising his new-found self control as he went into his own bedroom and shut the door behind him. The heavy door and thick white carpet muffled the noise and he was able to concentrate on fetching a fresh pair of black silk pajamas from his ebony dresser. He carefully aligned his collar pin and rings in the dresser's top drawer before changing into the pajamas and neatly folding down his bed. The noise down the hall grew louder and piqued his curiosity but he decided to retire to his cold sheets instead of worrying about its cause. His brief nap in the car hadn't refreshed him much and days like this left him frustrated and miserable, not to mention exhausted.

He'd spent the whole day Haiti, mucking about in the ruins of Port-au-Prince after it had been nearly leveled by a massive earthquake. Assessing the damage and digging out souls was an arduous process in such cases. The reaps were slow and required a lot of maneuvering on his part because they were so hard to get to. Cement and insulation had shattered in the wake of the destruction, choking the air with smoke and dust. Gas, sewage and water mains had broken, soaking the ground with mud, sludge and god knows what else. On top of everything else, rain had poured down incessantly and made rescue attempts even more futile. Still, he had tried to help those who would survive, making sure that they were as comfortable as possible and would be found more easily. After messing with Maka's turning point, Kid was finding it harder to ignore the plight of the living in order to concentrate on the dead.

It had been horrible, and he couldn't stop thinking about how different things would be if he were in charge. The Grand Design wouldn't get so out of control and he'd be able to lessen the impact of death for the souls caught in its' path. That wasn't the biggest thing bothering him though. It had occurred to him as he pawed through the wreckage that there were too many overly-violent deaths and too much widespread destruction to be explained away by a natural disaster, no matter how high it registered on the Richter scale. Someone was twisting the Grand Design and using naturally occurring events to cover up a thirst for violence and suffering.

Considering that he could almost always beat dear old dad to a reap, finding thousands dead and stripped of their hour glasses had really thrown him off. Frighteningly, the hour glasses were strewn about beside the bodies, just left behind. Hour glasses were carefully guarded; they were removed and taken back to the netherworld for Lord Death to assess, catalogue and, if he deemed it, recycled. Certainly the Death Scythes from Atlantic who had been helping him weren't leaving them lying around. Like Kid, they all knew better.

Then Kid had smelled his mother's perfume in the air. The nostalgic smell of jasmine and wisteria overpowered the stench that hung over the destruction and cold feelings clawed their way from the back of his mind where he had long thought them buried away forever.

Kid felt terror bubble up from his stomach and he shook all over. It had to be her, it just had to be. Only his mother was insane enough to reap someone's soul and leave their life essence sitting around out in the open, discarded like some random piece of trash. Kid shut his eyes tightly. The memory of the smell made him sick and he could still feel the dirt left on him by the earthquake. He had showered twice before heading to school to finish out the rest of the day, but it felt like the dust was still clinging to him. In his hair, along his neck. His skin crawled with the sensation of being dusted in charcoal. He hated dirt; what if it were loaded with asbestos? Most of those collapsed buildings were old - what else would they have used for insulation? What if Patty and Liz could breathe it in off his clothes, what if Maka could? Human beings could die of asbestos poisoning. Kid scrambled out of his sheets, intent on finding his dirty clothes from earlier in the day. He pulled them and everything else from the hamper and tossed it all into the fireplace. He stared at the pile for a moment before hitting the switch on the gas fireplace to bring it to life. The flame danced blue along the fabric, catching quickly and sending smoke up the chimney.

He realized it was a stupid thing to do as a button on his white shirt cracked and popped from the heat. Kid ran his hand through his bangs pushing them back and then straightening them again while he watched his dirty clothes burn. His OCD was getting the better of him. He knew it but was helpless against it.

He rubbed the chalky residue from the clothing between his fingers and fumbled through the back of a drawer for the photograph of his mother. He kept it to remind himself that she had once existed, that she had been real, and to refresh his memory of her when it started to fade. In the photo she was eternally happy, standing between him and his father. Had anyone seen it they would have guessed they were the perfect family. The picture's color had faded so much it was nearly amber. Kid wiped at his eyes and felt the chalky residue cling to his eyelashes. His tear ducts felt dry. He had shed the last tears for his mother many years ago and had thought he had forgotten and got past that part of his life. The hint of her presence had left a hollow, cold feeling in his chest. To be honest, Death the Kid didn't understand how to feel about the woman returning.

She'd loved him when he was little. She'd snuggle his head in the crook of her neck and her long pale hair would cover their faces, creating a tiny private space just for the two of them. Kid remembered the smell of jasmine and the warm, content feeling her voice gave him. He hadn't had her long enough. Staring at the fading picture, Kid was assaulted by a memory of sitting at the kitchen table, playing Candy Land and eating cookies with his mother after she'd finished his lessons one day. He'd been trying to ignore her too-bright eyes and concentrating on doing everything just right, hoping that life would go back to normal if he did. Her long nails had clicked against the game board and he'd been too scared to ask her to clean the blood out from under them. Gore oozed onto the colored squares causing a revolting smear of red.

Kid growled and shoved his face into his pillow, refusing to think about those times. He'd failed to save his mother but he could still help his dad. His father had tied his soul to Death City hundreds of years before and hadn't been free since. Death's sacrifice forced him remain in the Never After with only occasional forays into Death City and never beyond its' borders. Kid was convinced that his father needed a chance to experience freedom again, to get back in touch with humanity and grow to understand the world again. That would be sure to lift the depression brought on by monotony and the loss of his wife. And if Kid could reorganize operations to increase efficiency, cut losses and improve the overall process of death he felt that he was duty-bound to do it. He would take over and set the old man free to roam about in his retirement.

It was a hard thing to commit to. Yes, it was noble and would eventually happen anyway, but since joining the Academy he'd tasted what passed for a normal childhood in Death City and he relished the flavor. He enjoyed having friends and was thrilled about the prospect of turning seventeen and getting his driver's license. And now there was Maka.

Somehow he had to combine his duty and his desire. He had to figure out what to do about the escalating violence being covered up around the world. There had been too many large-scale disasters lately; The Indian Ocean Tsunami, Katrina and the Sichuan Earthquake just for starters. He needed to convince his father to get involved, even if it meant taking a stand against his wife. On top of that he had the paper due in Stein's class, those damn soul birds to keep on top of, and he really wanted to find some time to take Maka out on a real date. Kid felt his chest tighten under the invisible weight of it all.

There was no way he'd be able to accomplish it all. Especially if he was incapable of even keeping the covers straight on his bed. They were hanging down too far to the right. He twitched them over but couldn't get them even with the edge of his shoulders and the bottom of the pillow. Panic set in and he jumped up and remade the bed so that he could start over, but it still didn't look right. _I'm utterly worthless; can't even make a damn bed right. Maybe I should strip the bed and use different sheets. No, it can't be the sheets. It's just me._

His heart thumped as he heard Maka laugh and squeal of "Get off me!"

Just hearing her voice calmed him a little. He concentrated his soul perception on her and found he could breathe again. Something reckless inside him snapped as Maka burst out in another fit of laughter, and Liz shrieked, "Patty hold her down! Sit on her!"

Good god, what did girls _do_ at slumber parties? Kid tried to think of an excuse to find out and decided that going in to tell them that they were being too loud sounded reasonable. It wasn't the case; he just wanted to see Maka one last time before bed. She was right down the hall and he just couldn't help himself. He needed to see her. Kid put on his black house slippers and padded down the long symmetrical hallway that divided The Gallows' upper story. Laughter echoed down the dark corrider and seemed to lighten his burdens. The stereo and the TV were both on, adding to the noise of giggles and crunching.

Liz and Patty's suite consisted of two rooms separated by a single large bathroom. Patty's door was shut, but Liz's was open. The noise grew as he stepped into the light and peeked in on Liz's side. Kid's eyes widened as he saw Patty straddling Maka on the floor. One of Patty's hands was smashing down into Maka's left breast while she used the other to apply some kind of dark stuff to Maka's lips with a brush. Kid did a double take when he noticed that Maka wasn't wearing any bottoms, just a little pink nightshirt. Her panties peeked out from the hem of the shirt and Kid caught a full view of the ruffled lavender underwear when Maka flipped Patty off of her. His face went red and he peeked a little further around the door as Maka wrestled Patty to the ground and tried to put the same lip color on her. Watching the two girls wrestle was semi-erotic. Patty giggled and surrendered herself as Maka straddled her and dabbed her face with makeup. She reached up and batted Maka's pigtails, making them swing to the beat of the music. Kid's hand shot to his pajama top and covered his throbbing heart._ I_ _should go back to my room, this is no place for me to be right now, _he thought, but he was incapable of looking away. He looked away from Maka and Patty to Liz, who had cotton between her toes and was walking over on her heels to keep her toenails from hitting the floor. She blew on her fingernails and grabbed Maka's arm.

"My nails are done; time to do your makeup again!" she chirped, dragging Maka off to the vanity.

"You should put the falsies on her, Sis." Patty laughed, trying to wipe the lipstick off her cheek.

"Falsies?" Kid thought and edged closer, trying to see what Liz was doing. He ended up getting slapped up against the wall on the other side of the hallway by Patty. Her shoulder crunched into his collarbone as she pinned him to the wall.

"What are you doing Kiddo?" she asked with a hint of irritation creeping into her voice.

"I was...I was coming down here to tell you to keep it down." Kid stuttered, craning his neck so he could look into the bedroom over her shoulder. "I heard crashing and stuff breaking I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay!"

"Sure, I'll bet that's what you were doing" Patty rasped snidely. Abruptly she drove her foot against the wall between Kids legs, barely missing a very sensitive area. A disturbed look twisted her features. "Are you sure you weren't just coming down here to stalk Maka, you creeper?"

Kid had no idea what the right answer was, but he couldn't help but turn his eyes to watch as Liz applied set of false eyelashes to Maka's eyelids.

"Yeah, that's what I thought you were doing." Patty chortled, and abruptly flung Kid across the hall and into the bedroom, where he skidded face first along the carpet with his rear up in the air_. _There was nothing delicate or gentlemanly about being thrown around like a rag dolland he flooded with embarrassment as his head knocked against the brass bed post.

"Ow," he grunted and tried to raise himself off the floor to his knees.

"Hi, Kid-Kun!" Maka called, keeping her eyes on Liz, who was giving her a thick coat of mascara and eyeliner to hide the traces of the false lashes. Liz finished and handed Maka a piece of tissue.

"Now blot your lips. I'll start on your face."

Patty strolled over and twisted Maka's face up rather forcefully. Examining her sisters handywork.

"I liked the green shades on her better" she critiqued. She reached into a bowl of Cheetos and shoved a handful into her mouth. She wiped the orange residue on her fingers down the front of the pajama bottoms that matched Maka's top and slung a unopened can of soda in Kid's direction.

Kid stopped the rolling can with his finger tips and sat the can upright. He was afraid to open it after the brutish treatment Patty had given it and rested the can next to him.

"I don't understand. Why are you guys putting on makeup so late at night?" he finally asked, his eyes never leaving the profile of Maka eyelashes.

"This is a preliminary so we can see what colors to use on her tomorrow morning." Liz replied enthusiastically. She brandished a large pallet of eye shadows, blushes and lip colors, showing off the many choices to impress upon Kid the importance of what she was doing.

"Oh." Kid whispered wilting to the floor baffled. Patty kneed him in the back and nearly knocked him over again, and he slapped his hands into the carpet to stop himself from toppling.

Maka turned her head away from Liz to glance at him. The long curly eyelashes fluttered like a dolls when she smiled. Kid couldn't help but grin back. Liz grabbed Maka's face and turned it so she finish what she was doing.

"Quit staring or Liz is going to do you next." Patty warned.

Kid grimaced as he flashed back to the last time Liz had "practiced" on him and then swore she was out of nail polish remover. He'd ended up with black fingernails for a week and had to put up with Black Star and Soul chanting "Emo!" every time they saw him in the hallway at school. _That so wasn't going to happen again._ They had Chrona and Hiro to pick on now and Kid felt he was tame compared to the two of them. For the millionth time, Kid was glad that he was no longer the weirdest one at the DWMA.

He kind of felt sorry for Chrona, who'd been forced into a team with Hiro, but overall he felt they were a good match. Unfortunately, due to Hiros previous antics with Excalibur and Ragnorock...well, being Ragnorock, the team was not part of the spartoi and they weren't in many of the same classes anymore. Kid was a little too pleased that Chrona didn't have as much opportunity to hang on Maka anymore now that the weapon/miester was part of a proper team and was considered a first year in the academy. Chrona still made plenty of time to leech onto Maka during Stein's class and the few others the teen had with Maka. But it just wasn't as overbearing to watch as before.

Kid came back to reality as Liz patted powder onto Maka's already pale face and stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Patty come look at this and tell me what you think."

Patty crawled up behind her sister and looked over Liz shoulder.

"It looks good, but it's not Maka. She looks like a vampire china doll." Patty said, crossing her arms and staring at Maka critically. "Sis did you copy that look from somewhere? I seem to remember the smoky racoon eye thing from somewhere."

"Robert Palmer. your remember that old video for _Addicted to Love_. All the girls had black smoky eyes and dark red lipstick" Liz grinned she scrolled through her iPod and put the song on the stereo.

"Isn't that the one with all the brunette clones?"

Kid took the opportunity to get up and look for himself. Maka looked beautiful; but it was a strange and dark beauty, like something from a magazine or the cover of a vampire novel. Kid could hardly tear his eyes away from her. He didn't want to stare so intensely but her smoky eyes and shiny ruby red lips fascinated him. It was all wrong; Liz had replaced his Maka with this dark succubus he couldn't bear to look away from.

"Oh stop drooling, you perv." Patty let out a witchy cackle and tossed Maka some makeup remover. "You better get that off or we'll never get him out of here."

"I don't mind having him here." Maka said shyly, smiling at him before she ducked into the bathroom to wash her face.

"I didn't know you were so into the Goth stuff, Kiddo." Liz teased. She grabbed an open beer from the vanity and took a sip.

"I didn't know I was, actually." Kid said, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"What do you mean, you didn't know?" Patty said exasperatedly, "You have a guillotine in the yard and a hangman's noose on the big tree out front".

"Yes, well they came with the property when I purchased it." Kid argued.

"You could have them taken down." Liz pointed out.

"The place is called The Gallows. It should have a hangman's noose. And the guillotine reminds me of my dad." Kid said tiredly, realizing how bizarre _that_ sounded.

"Which one did you like the best?" Liz asked Maka, who had successfully removed all the dark makeup.

I like the green and the lavender, same as Patty. Though I'd love to wear that black stuff to give my father a scare. I think he'd hit the roof if he saw it." Maka giggled at the idea.

"Yeah, but then he'd blame Kiddo for turning you to the Goth side."

"I'm not Goth." Kid complained, "If I could get rid of these stupid streaks in my hair I would."

"Hate to break it to you, but your hair isn't what makes you look Goth Kiddo." Patty snickered.

"Then what does?" Kid whined anxiously.

"Among other things, everything in your closet is black." Liz snorted.

" It's not all black! I have a brown shirt, and a red one too. I have a lot of white stuff and I even have a pair of blue jeans." Kid retorted.

"Come on Maka, you need to help me with this." Liz said. Patty shoved Maka out the door by her butt and the girls went laughing down the hall.

"No, don't go in there!" Kid exclaimed as the three girls tromped into his room. Kid pivoted wildly between the fireplace that was merrily burning up what was left of the dirty laundry he'd thrown in it and the picture of his mother on the bed.

Liz took another swig of her beer and flung open the door to Kid's walk in closet. While the girls' back were turned, Kid shoved the photo into his nightstand, turned off the fireplace and wrenched the windows open to get the smell of burning cloth out of the room.

"Over here you can see the never ending copies of Kid's black suit." Liz announced, and Patty presented his clothing like a game show hostess. "If you look to your right, you can see all of Kiddo's pressed white shirts. To the left we have white suits and Spartoi uniforms. Now if you look in the very back you'll see the exceptions to the rule. One black shirt, one brown, shirt, and a red t-shirt, the only one of its kind I might add. And one pair of jeans that Patty and I forced on him so he could play basket ball in something other than …" Liz hiccupped and ended her tirade.

"...Other than a suit. Even his underwear is black." Patty said, driving the knife home.

Kid was mortified and stood at the entrance of the closet in shock. At least they hadn't told Maka that the only reason he even bothered to wear the t-shirt and jeans was to make him seem more normal, like Soul and Black Star.

"You're drunk!" he snapped at Liz. Patty and Liz were shoving his OCD in Maka's face, pointing out how weird he was and he was feeling malicious. "Hardly," Liz rolled her eyes at him and chugged the rest of the beer just to piss him off.

"Please tell Kid to wear some color; he'll listen to you." Liz begged Maka. "I could dress him in all sorts of adorable things if he'd just let me put some color on him. What good is having a little brother if I can't dress him cute boys' clothes?"

Kid blushed. Liz made him sound like a headstrong toddler. And come to think of it, he'd dressed in black suits when he _was_ a headstrong toddler. His mother had designed that suit when he was four. _One white square for every year of your life, precious!_ The idea suddenly seemed foolish and made him feel even more uncomfortable.

"I think Kid needs to wear whatever makes him the most comfortable." Maka replied looking at him warmly. "I always thought you were kind of stylish, Kid-kun. Sort of timeless. I have to admit though; I did like this brown shirt when you wore it at first year graduation."

Kid's mouth dropped open as Maka picked up the shirt and held it up to him. "I thought the color looked really good with your eyes." She smiled at him and whispered, "Don't let it get to you. Remember the laundry room."

Kid nearly melted into a puddle on the floor. Those words had defeated him. From now on Liz and Patty were going to try to do anything they wanted with his wardrobe and use Maka's admiration as an excuse.

Patty was leaning against the door with a smug look on her face. A lot of times she and Liz tried to distract Kid by wrestling with him or teasing him when he got all riled up. If all else failed, massive quantities of reassurance usually worked. She wondered if Liz noticed how Kid's overzealous desire to please Maka had quietly overcome whatever OCD-fueled fit he'd been spiraling into.

"I guess I could try to broaden my color palette a smidge." Kid said. "But don't think I'm going to be jumping around in basketball shorts that hang down lower than my ass." he added quickly.

"I don't think I'd like that too much either." Maka said with a wince. "It wouldn't hurt to add some color but there's no reason you have to abandon your sense of style all together." She yawned and stretched and then gave him a hug.

"It's getting late, let's go to bed." Maka said softly.

Kid looked at Maka in astonishment. _Does she mean she wants to go to my bed? With me?_ A wave of shock crashed over him, quickly followed by self-conscious horror and a hot stab of lust. He nearly moaned out loud and was still reeling when Maka gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked out behind Liz. Kid's shoulders sagged in disappointment. He should have figured that one was too good to be true.

Patty stuck her head into the hall and when she was sure Maka was out of ear shot she closed the door.

"Kid, you idiot!" she snapped, boxing him down to the floor. "I can't believe this! You finally get a girl half-way interested in you and you turn into a total pervert. If you screw this up, so help me god I'm shooting it off and you'll never have to worry about another girl liking you again!"

"What did I do?"

"Maka says a simple little thing like 'let's go to bed' and you're ready to strip her naked and do H rated stuff to her! No more dirty manga books for you!"

"When my girlfriend barges into my room in a skimpy nightgown, puts her arms around my neck and says 'let's go to bed" what do you think my response is going to be?" Kid explained defensively.

Patty cackled evilly. "I'm going to let you off the hook since you're a horny idiot who doesn't know better, but this is the last time. Quit being so desperate," she warned. "Wear your Spartoi uniform tomorrow; Maka is wearing hers." she added brightly.

"Oh good, we'll match. Because that's not desperate." Kid wiped the sweat from his face and picked himself up off the floor. Apparently Patty wasn't going to kill him for being an enemy to women. At least not tonight.

"Who am I kidding? I am desperate. I feel better when I'm around her."

"Girls hate clingy guys. Get a grip, or I'm gonna go downstairs and move something. And I'm not going to tell you what. You'll have to spend the next month checking every chair, drawer and closet in this barn."

"You mean you have been doing that on purpose for all these years?" Kid yelled, wondering where he could hide her body if he went ahead and strangled her.

"Of course! You remember what I was like when we first met." Patty said with a devilish grin. You know Kiddo, you're more fun to play with as a love sick puppy. I didn't think I'd ever get tired of tormenting you with your OCD but this is much better. You're so much more alive. You're even talking back a little You're just so fun to pick on I just can't stop laughing."

"Maka is convinced you're some sweet and innocent girl." Kid said, flopping into bed on his back and placing his hands under his head. "She doesn't realize you're secretly the devil incarnate."

"I'm just trying to help you," Patty said, sitting on the edge of the bed and swinging her feet. "I know you got mad when we were teasing you about your clothes, but Maka needs to know the real you. And all of you, not just the nice normal parts."

Kid's expression turned to one of quiet defeat as he stared at the fireplace. "She won't like me anymore if she knows everything. I've already realized I'm not human enough for her. Even if I were I'm probably too messed up for a normal relationship."

"Then why are you still trying Aniki?" Patty challenged him, "Why are you even bothering?"

"I don't really know. I mean, my fate's been determined. I'm already…" Kid dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, "What I want to do is…never mind. What I want to do has no bearing on what I'm obligated to do."

"You're totally set on being lonely and miserable even if you don't have to be." Patty huffed.

She was right. After all, no one had told him to take over Lord Death's domain, and no one had told him to turn down all those arranged marriages. Kid had decided that all on his own. He would go it alone and he felt this choice was the right one. But how could he give Maka up? The thought made him feel sick.

"I probably deserve to be lonely and miserable!" he yelled. Hot tears welled up and he sobbed in frustration.

There was a quiet knock on the door, and Patty cooed "right on schedule". She leaned over Kid and whispered, "If she's brave enough to try, why aren't you?" The she opened the door for Maka and left Kid lying crumpled and sobbing.

"Kid-Kun!" Maka exclaimed, her face knit with concern and bewilderment.

"Oni-tan just had another OCD attack." Patty said, feigning shyness, "Could you take care of it? Pweeze." She slapped Maka on the back and darted out of the room.

"Hey, what shook you so bad?" Maka asked, looking for something to fix and solve the problem.

"Nothing." Kid whispered. He kept his face down on the bed so Maka couldn't witness his blubbering. His breathing was ragged but at least he was fighting the whimpering noises.

"Is it the sheets?" Maka swiftly smoothed them and turned them down evenly.

"No." Kid replied curtly. He rose to his feet and checked his face in the mirror. His eyes were red, but his dignified mask was back in place.

"What is it then?" Maka probed. She couldn't see anything out of place but she'd heard Kid yelling and could see how upset he was.

"I'm okay. Like Patty said it was just another OCD attack. I'm all right now." Kid said. His voice wasn't as firm as he'd like it to be; it still sounded like he had been crying.

"Fine; you don't have to tell me." Maka said, putting her arms around him. "But you don't have to pretend you're okay, either."

Kid shoulders began heaving up and down again. He shouldn't be doing this, shouldn't encourage her to be a part of the life he was doomed to not have. He thought again of his father's empty manor on the other side of the nether world and cringed.

Maka hugged him tighter and lay down with him on his bed. His fingers clutched the silk covering her back as she pressed her body into his. She felt nice and warm, and she smelled like summer. He didn't feel like crying anymore though the pain still throbbed in his heart. Even that faded when she smoothed back his hair and kissed his forehead. His head found a spot against her neck and he felt her swallow as his lips grazed her skin.

"It's okay." Maka soothed, stroking the back of his neck. He'd spent a week taking care of her and it felt nice to return the favor a little bit.

"I feel stronger when I'm like this with you." Kid confessed into her hair.

"Oh, so you just keep me around to boost your morale, huh?" Maka teased. Kid pulled back to look at her.

"No, that's not it at all," he said solemnly, "I feel stronger because I want to be the best I can be for you. I want to be the kind of person you deserve."

"But I care about all of you, Kid-kun. Not just the best parts. Don't ever feel like you have to be fake around me. I'm not going to ditch you just because you're not perfect all the time. "

She smiled at him and he leaned up to kiss her.

"You feel better now?" Maka asked.

"Yes." he mumbled, feeling an odd sense of calm come over him. He rubbed his eyes and laid back, his hand falling on Maka's bare legs. She wasn't wearing much, he remembered. Just a nightshirt. It didn't feel like she had a bra on either. He tugged her down gently and found her mouth again, deciding to quit obsessing over the future and just enjoy the moment. Maka wasn't sick and they were alone for the first time in over a week, on top of that he didn't have her father or Soul hovering over him so it was the perfect opportunity. Everything else could just wait for a bit.

Maka pulled him closer and deepened the kiss, shuddering when his tongue touched hers.

"Holy cow, It's three am!" Maka said looking at the clock when they came up for air. "I need to get in bed. We have school in three hours."

"You are in bed." Kid told her, kissing her throat. "Stay here with me." He murmured, grabbing a strand of Maka's hair and kissing the blonde lock.

"It's not like I'd go out and broadcast it to the world. Or maybe I should." Kid formed a megaphone with his hands and yelled, "I love cuddling with Maka Albarn!" at the top of his lungs.

"Good for you!" Liz shouted down the hall, "Now keep it down, I'm trying to sleep in here!"

Kid tried to wrap Maka in his arms again but she gave him a hard punch in the shoulder. Kid figured she wasn't really mad since he didn't get the famous Maka-chop even though he was trying to get her to sleep with him.

"I'm going to bed now." she said blushing scarlet and getting off the bed.

"Don't go" Kid said playfully, following her into the hallway.

"I'm going to sleep Kid-Kun."

"Well you better sleep fast. Because you only have two hours and forty eight minutes. " Kid teased, "Oops, make that two hours and forty seven minutes. Why bother going to sleep now?"

"Because I'm tired!" Maka said, trying to sound irritated. Kid caught her and spun her around.

"I guess I can wait two hours and forty five minutes till I see you again." He said, trying to sound seductive. She giggled and he kissed her, pressing himself against her and pinning her between his body and the wall. He ran his lips down her neck and the giggle turned into a soft gasp. She grabbed him by the collar, kissed him hard and then nipped at his earlobe.

"Maybe I can't wait two hours and forty five minutes." He groaned, praying she'd take pity on him and go back to bed with him.

Maka grinned at him over her shoulder as she headed into Liz' bedroom, "I'm sure you'll make it. See you in two hours and forty-five minutes."

"Only hours and forty minutes now" Kid called after her.

"You aren't going to live another two hours and forty minutes if you don't shut the hell up!" Liz snarled from the dark room.

Kid heard Patty giggle as Maka flopped down in bed, and Liz groaned something about eating too much peanut butter. Back in his room, Kid checked at the time again and decided there was no point in going to bed. He wouldn't feel rested after an hour and half of sleep, and he was too wound up anyway. With almost two hours of extra time he could check on the soul birds, review the new marketing materials for the funeral home, get a couple of reaps in and still have time to make breakfast.

He set to work feeling better than he had all day. Maybe Patty was right. Maybe he needed to be brave enough to try to work something out with Maka. To tell her how important it was for him to make up for all the years that his father had spent mourning his missing wife and to help him heal after centuries of wearying imprisonment. Maybe she would understand that he had no choice but to give what his father needed most; a holiday from being Death.

* * *

Author's Note"

So my versions of Death and Death the Kid are a cross between the character of Death in Terry Pratchet's Disc World books and Frederic March from _Death Takes a Holiday_, a really old movie that I have laying around in my basement on VHS. Lord Death is more like the Terry Pratchett version of death; eccentric and jovial. In Pratchett's books, Death even assumes the role of Santa Clause, which inspired Tim Burton's _The Nightmare Before Christmas_.

I've based Death the Kid along the lines of Frederic March, who is confused about why everyone is afraid of him until he finds his first love, who doesn't show any fear of him. I don't plan to take any scenes from either the film or the books but I did want you to know about the influence.

If you've never read one of Terry Pratchett's books, you might enjoy them since you obviously enjoy reading Soul Eater. If you'd like to start with a book where Death is a prominent character, try _Soul music_, _Reaper Man, Mort_or The _Hogfather_. You'll notice that Death the Kid's hair coloring is suspiciously similar to that of Deaths daughter Susan. You can also see death briefly characterized in _The Color of Magic_, though that's not one of my favorite Disc World novels.

One little side note: I know Neil Gaiman's books are another big influence for Soul Eater, according to the QA that the author has published on the official Soul Eater forum. I found it funny that Neil Gaiman gushes about Terry Pratchett and has even co-authored a book with him. It's kind of funny how art mimics art.

But enough drabble - question answering time. Those who are not interested in the stupid author Q&A can skip this. It's not important to the story but I've been getting a lot of questions about this and figured I'd answer them.

Q: Why does Maka know how to perform a Japanese tea ceremony when she's lived most of her life in Death City?

A: Simple. In the manga, Black Star mentions that like Tsubaki, he and Maka are Japanese. I'm assuming Maka has spent time with her grandparents and other family members in Japan, but even if she didn't she still could have gone to a tea ceremony here in the US.

For those of you from the states who haven't been to one and would like to attend, I can tell you they do a Japanese Tea ceremony in nearly every big city in the US. I went to one hosted by the Denver Botanical Gardens and you can call and register if you live in the Colorado area. The price is $30 dollars for non members and $25 for members.

San Francisco and New York have many places to go and most Buddhist temples across the country host tea ceremonies. If you're a nut for Japanese culture like me you might be interested in attending this kind of thing. Check your local Buddhist temple for times and locations, and one of the monks will help you out.

There was a tea ceremony here today, so these things can be found pretty regularly even if you're not a native of Japan. I highly suggest going to the one in spring in Denver. They pick the tea from the garden and the flowers are just amazing. You can also attend one at the Sakura Festival they have each year, and at the Dragon Boat festival if you register ahead. The Akimatsuri Festival is coming up - check local Buddhist temples for one there. If they don't have one just go and enjoy the festival, it's a cool thing to do for Halloween.


	8. Chapter 8

Updated Friday May 13 2011 8:32pm

Forever In The Never After

Chapter 8 :Off To The Library

Soul didn't feel like running. He hadn't slept well after his spat with Maka and he felt groggy and out-of-sorts. He stumbled into the kitchen looking for breakfast and felt a little creeped out by the unusual silence in the house. He realized how much he missed the sound of Maka clattering in the kitchen while she sang along with the radio and sighed heavily. Blair sauntered in from Maka's room and hopped up on the counter beside him, stretching her back and giving him a soft meow. She bumped his hand with her head and purred warmly when Soul stroked her fur absentmindedly.

"Bu-tan got to sleep in the bed last night by herself, where's Maka?" she asked.

"She took off and went to spend the night with Liz and Patty." Soul grumped.

Blair eyed him speculatively and transformed into her human guise. She leaned down giving Soul a good eyeful of her cleavage and snuggled him against her bare form. "I guess that just leaves you and me today! What do you want to do?" she asked suggestively.

Soul untangled himself and scrambled back from the kitchen counter. He covered his head and winced in anticipation of a blow that never came because Maka wasn't home. His nose leaked blood and he dabbed at it with a napkin.

"Why do you insist on doing this to me first thing in the morning? Don't you think Maka clocks me enough? If she was here she'd probably beat me stupid with her George Orwell collection again. Or worse yet, that _Collected Works of Women's Literature_. You know how heavy that damn book is?"

Blair lowered her yellow eyes on him and giggled. "You're right it's no fun without Maka-chan around to keep you in line. You're really a pretty boring person without her, you know that?"

"If I give you some catnip will you transform back and just go stare at your paw for the next six hours?"

"Nah, I did that last night. I'm bored. Play with me Soul, come on please play with me."

"God damn! You don't say stuff like that while you're sitting naked next to the kitchen fire escape. What if one of the neighbors came down and saw you? They'd think I was soliciting a prostitute or worse yet they'd think I'm into bestiality."

Blair pouted. "If I change back will you play with me? I got a new wind up mouse and a new kitty fishing pole with sparkly feathers at the end!"

Soul reminded himself that no matter how Blair looked she was still a cat and basically had the brain of cat. Which meant her thoughts centered around grooming, fish, milk, catnip and getting scratched. When she was needy like today it meant hours of winding up mice and playing fishing for Bu-tan. He gave a loud annoyed huff.

"Totally un-cool, you know what I think I'm going to go on to school early." Soul smacked a container of tuna onto the floor and headed back to his room for clothes.

Blair ran in after him, everything still bare and bouncing. She slid on her heels in front of the door. "Oh Soul! I forgot to tell you that the mummy lady called yesterday. She wants to see you again. Today, actually. I forgot to give you the message last night."

Soul groaned and yanked on his red jeans. Blair barged into his room with such regularity that he didn't think twice about changing in front of her any more.

"If you're going to check the answering machine at least make sure you write down the messages."

"Who died and made you Maka? I was just telling you because I know how much shots hurt. I got my feline distemper last year and it was just awful. Come on Soul, stay home. We can play all day; it will be fun."

"Casting a fishing pole with sparkly feathers isn't my idea of fun Blair. You're going to have to entertain yourself today. I've already missed a ton of school. Besides, I have to check on Maka since she stayed all night at Kid's."

Blair gave him a Cheshire Cat smile, "So that's it! You're all bent out of shape because Maka spent the night with her boyfriend."

Soul coughed and turned red." No that's not it at all. She's never spent the night over at the gallows and those two sisters are kind of reckless. What if one of them accidently shot her? Kid would probably have a panic attack and let her bleed to death."

"Just admit it: you like her."

"She's my Miester! I worry about her."

"You're just jealous because you consider her part of your litter. Some tom cat is trying to mark your littermate and you're scared."

Soul pulled on a Ramones t-shirt and his black and yellow jacket and yellow Doc Martins. He ran some Bed Head pomade into his hair to get it to stand up and arranged it around his sweat band. The sweat band was fraying a bit. Some of his clothes were looking more shabby than chic, but he vowed to wear his burgundy jeans till they wore out. He had a good tear on the elastic jacket cuff and his yellow boots were looking slightly skinned up around the toes, but he wanted the comfort of his old familiar stuff.

"Mornin' Soul " Black Star shouted as he tromped into the kitchen, "Where's Maka?"

"She spent the night over at The Gallows." Soul grumbled.

Black Star narrowed his eyes. "I go away for a couple of days and you let her go shack up with Kid?"

"Yeah you two were gone yesterday. How was your mission?" Soul asked, trying to change the subject. As usual, inviting Black Star to talk about himself worked like a charm.

"Great! We got to bust some heads big time. The way things are looking we may get Tsubaki to be a death scythe in a couple more weeks. You two better watch your backs – we're catching up."

Soul rummaged through the refrigerator and pulled out a few slices of lunch meat. He stuffed them in his mouth and took a drink from the faucet. His canvas lunch bag and Maka's sat empty and clean beside the sink. It struck him that Maka probably didn't think to bring a lunch with her to school and he thought making one for her might be an acceptable peace offering. He got filled two thermoses with instant soup and stuck them in the microwave. As he watched the microwave timer tick down he heard Black Star digging through the refrigerator behind him.

"You think she's gonna cut class again today?" he worried out loud.

"Mrs. Goody Two Shoes? Hell no!" Black Star smiled. He grabbed the milk, sucked it down from the carton and wadded the empty container up with one hand.

"Yo, you're out of milk." He announced.

"No shit" Soul replied, un-amused. He put the thermoses into the lunch bags and added crackers.

"You want a ride to school?" Soul questioned. "We can stop and pick Tsubaki up."

"Sure. We usually run but I guess we can be lazy for a day." Black Star replied, following Soul out of the apartment and down to the parking lot.

Soul brought the motorcycle to life and began plowing down the street. He took each curb gently because he didn't want an overzealous Black Star to lean the wrong way and topple them over. He stopped in front of Black Star's house and the ninja ran in. He came back out with Tsubaki in weapon form and carried both their backpacks over one shoulder. Black Star casually wrapped the chain of the vigoorian flail around his wrist so that he could hold both of Tsubaki's blades in one hand and climbed back on to the motorcycle.

"This is great." Black Star yelled engine. "When I get my license I want to get one too. Then we can start a motorcycle gang."

"How much you wanna bet that we'll find little miss bookworm in the library this morning?" Soul shouted to Black Star.

"Only an idiot would take that bet. She's probably reading some romance novel in there." Black Star laughed back.

They arrived at school much earlier than usual and had plenty of time to go to the library and look for Souls missing meister.

"Hey Tsubaki – do you they've got that book in here...the one we watched on TV last night?" Black Star asked his partner, looking completely lost as he entered the library.

"You want to read it?" Tsubaki asked incredulously.

"Nah. Maybe the audio version of it, though. I kind of wanted to see the end of the movie last night but I just was too tired to stay up."

"They probably have one. I'll help you find it." Tsubaki said supportively.

"What movie did you two watch?" Soul asked as he looked through the aisles for Maka.

"It was _Midnight In The Garden On The Bayou_." Tsubaki whispered wistfully.

Soul cringed and turned back around, "Sounds like a chick flick. Why do you want to read a girl book, dude?"

"It's not a girl book! The movie had a voodoo witch doctor and a bunch of alligators in it." Black Star said defensively.

"It is a chick flick." Tsubaki sang happily. She located the book in question and hugged it to her. Her expression bubbled into one of adoration as she began reading the back cover to Soul, who crossed his eyes and made gagging noises.

"Here Black Star, we'll get the book and the cd so you can read along with it."

"Like one of those children's books with the cassettes." Soul gave Black Star a condescending pat on the head and the ninja actually blushed.

Tsubaki shot Soul an evil look that warned him to can it. Black Star had enough problems trying to read English without Soul teasing him about it. Soul had no idea how hard English was to learn when you grew up speaking Japanese as a first language.

"Okay I got the CD but where the hell is Maka?" Black Star asked looking back to Soul for answers.

"I don't know. I can't believe she's not here." Soul stammered. "Be our luck, Liz and Patty convinced her to skip school and run up to Lake Tahoe."

"Surely they would tell the rest of us if they were doing that." Tsubaki replied, plopping down her library card at the counter to check out the books and CD.

Black Star folded his hands behind his head and began heading out of the library. "Nah, more likely Kid freaked out about something and they're trying to scrape him off the ceiling. Kid's nearly always late for some reason. Hell, I'd be late too if my old man ran the school and no one was going to say shit to me. I bet you anything he's crying over a wrinkle in his collar or a spotted coffee mug, and Liz and Patty are trying to get him under control by stroking his ego."

Soul smiled widely. "Yeah, you're probably right. That sounds like Kid. Maka is probably standing around like an idiot while the girls run damage control. Damn though; I was really hoping to see her and apologize to her before school."

"Don't tell me you two got into again?" Black Star heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes.

Soul shook his head, "I just don't get women. She got all bent out of shape because I didn't think she should go spend the night with Patty and Liz. It was a school night and the two of us are already behind from missing last week."

"You're not mad about that, you're mad because Kid's pissing in your bowl." Black Star laughed loudly.

Soul grabbed a random book and dropped it onto the check out desk with his library card." I know, I know. I already heard it from Blair this morning."

"What's the book for? You didn't even look at the title." Tsubaki asked.

"Maka always runs out of room on her library card to check stuff out. Peace offering so to speak."

"Guess that would work for a bookworm like her. If you ever need to apologize to me save your time and just bring food." Black Star told him.

"Yeah that so?"

"Yeah. Lunch, dinner breakfast, anything. Damn I'm starving! I should have had breakfast. Bet you Kid and those girls never miss breakfast, since they come to school whenever they want."

"I still don't see how just any old book can be considered an apology." Tsubaki insisted.

"Well a book is a book, right? Maka loves to read so much I figure it doesn't matter what it's about."

Tsubaki shook her head in dismay. All books were different and who's to say what was even in the book Soul had picked up for all they knew it could be something written a hundred years ago by some old dead person that had nothing pertinent to contribute to modern day society. Tsubaki looked at the book and shook her head. It was written by some unheard-of author named Raith Mefet and its title was disgustingly pretentious. "Raith Mefet: The Defenitve Guide to the Soul"sounded like some New Age "Chicken Soup for the Soul" kind of nonsense to Tsubaki, which meant Maka would probably hate it. After all, what kind of individual thinks they definitively know every type of soul in existence?

Kid flipped through the pages of the "Raith Mefet: Field Guide to Reaping, Soul Collection and Corpse Preparation". So far he had found nothing that told him if reaper relations with humans always ended badly or if was just a fluke that happened with his mother and father. His thoughts lingered on Maka. He had to be sure that Maka wouldn't end up crazed and murderous from pursuing a relationship with him but the book had offered a whole lot of nothing in that regard.

It was a massive volume that had been the go-to guide for generations of reapers but it was missing this huge part of reaper knowledge. The ever bored Lord Death had scrapped the current book together so it could be found in one volume instead of the original 34 boxes of material. The earliest pages were made of hide and had to be oiled regularly to keep them from disintegrating. The papyrus documents were pressed between thin sheets of Plexiglass and had been bound into the book with cloth and thick hemp twine. The pages written over centuries were interspersed with text that Lord Death had transcribed and printed out using his laptop. The whole ugly thing was unbalanced and confusing; the exact opposite of symmetry, and Kid hated touching it. He wondered why hadn't his father just organized and retyped the whole thing. If the Christian Bible the Koran could be rewritten and printed, there was no reason not to do it with this mixed up pile of crap.

Kid shuddered and flipped the pages angrily. It was the OCD again always craving balance and symmetry always wanting things to look like they belong together. He counted to ten and thought of kissing Maka. It was worth looking through the disgusting book if it could tell him to follow what his heart told him was the right decision. Earlier that morning he has resolved to peruse Maka even though all the odds showed it probably wasn't going to work out. He huffed and leafed through the book again, this time stopping at a chapter title that made him shudder. "For Those You Just Can't Live Without"_._ That fit Maka to a T., so he began thumbing through the chapter.

Unlike most of the reaping manuals, the Guide had little to no magic in it. It was a general overview that referenced other materials; in essence it was the Dummies Guide to grim reaping and its heavy handed language made the reader feel as if he or she were being placated by some higher authority. Kid found nothing to tell him what had gone wrong when his father turned his mother into a reaper. Instead it was a psychological analysis meant to determine if a reaper was trying to turn a human for professional or personal reasons. Apparently turning someone because you were just really lonely was frowned upon. He flipped a few more pages and the book fell open on the section he hated the most , entitled "Raising the Dead with Good Authority and Knowhow". Kid snorted at the audacity of the title. _What the hell does that mean, anyway? _ How could anyone raise the dead with good authority? Even his father had failed miserably at that one. _All the know-how and good authority in the universe didn't do my mother any good._

Mother. One of those words that seemed to get stuck in the back of his throat. He could still vividly remember the last hours he spent with her. The smell of ink and blood had filled the news printer's office in Chile. Kid had snuck onto the overhead catwalk and clung to one of its' supports with a white knuckled grip. His mother loomed above her victims with the tip of her boot pressed against the drum of the ink roller that had crushed a man's arm beneath it. Kid knew it was all wrong. The person they had come to reap hadn't shown up for work and his mother took her frustration out on the two people who watched the late night printing machines to make sure they didn't foul up.

But the machines had fouled up in the most deadly fashion imaginable. His mother bounced a bit on the drum, tightening its' grip on the older gentlemen's arm. The woman, Rowaine, who had been working with him called "Phillipe, Phillipe" over and over as she tried to pull his arm free. A cracking sound, like a bag of potato chips being smashed, came from inside the machine. The news papers crinkled around the blockage in the press and the woman hit the emergency button on the machine. Of course that didn't work; his mother had seen to that as well. She pranced happily on top of the machine while she jeered at the panicking woman.

"Awww what's wrong? Can't get his arm out? Don't know what to do chere?" Kid watched his mother dance inches away from the woman's face. They were both in Reaper mode, which meant neither of the panicked humans could see them. It was all so wrong. Kid wanted to help, but he knew he was no match for his mother. Belle sent a talon of magic into the industrial florescent lights, which fell to the floor in a shower of sparks and dust. Kid jumped and bit his tongue when the glass and metal made contact with concrete. The lighting had skewered Rowaine. Her body bounced on the electric current and the smell of charred hair and burnt flesh filled Kid's nostrils. A sickening tearing sound came from the drum that had been crushing Phillipe's arm. Kid covered his mouth as the drum un-jammed itself and sheared the man's arm off at the shoulder joint. The arm was crushed under the drum and it's pulpy remains went traveling down the conveyer belt wrapped in tomorrow's news.

Blood sprayed from the old gentlemen's shoulder, painting the newspapers as he fell to the floor. The pain was too much and he lost consciousness quickly, but the blood – the blood just kept flowing. Belle's warm golden eyes reflected the sparks showering down from the ceiling as she threw her head back and laughed with delight. She caught sight of Kid's ghostly white face staring down at her and bounced up to the catwalk with a smooth graceful leap.

"Maman said you should wait behind the wall, mon petit bonhomme."

"They weren't meant to die." Kid rasped, trying to make sense of what he had seen. The purple light of the Grand Design was missing and there was nothing to indicate that the two victims were supposed to die. Vomit filled Kid's mouth. He spit up onto the catwalk and clutched his stomach.

"Cher, are you sick? My poor baby, come here and let Maman look at you." She reached out to stroke his forehead with genuine concern.

Kid darted away from her grasp and retched again, staring down at the floor below. Blood. There was blood everywhere. It was a huge mess, one that he'd never be able to clean up no matter how hard he tried.

"This isn't funny Kiddo. Maman doesn't want to play. If you're sick we need to get you home."

"You murdered them. You murdered those people."

The words made an awful impact. Something snapped in his mother's rotten mind and he suddenly knew without a doubt that he'd lost her forever. He wasn't going to be able to fix it this time.

"Come here Come here right now!" Belle snarled, grabbing at him. Kid stumbled to his feet and ran, terrified, knowing that she was right behind him.

Kid slapped the book shut on an unrealistic-looking picture of zombies coming out of the ground. That image might have born some resemblance to Sid but not to his mother. For Kid, a more realistic image would be of a beautiful French courtier in heels chasing her son through the dark streets of Chile with a machete.

He heard movement upstairs, indicating that the girls were up and made his way into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and began getting out stuff to make breakfast.

Soon enough, Maka, Patty, and Liz came down the kitchen stairs of guillotine manor. The three of them acted like sisters, all chummy and good-naturedly picking at each other. They were all wearing their Spartoi uniforms and Kid noticed that Liz had worked her magic on Maka's make-up and hair again.

The bottoms of her pigtails were curled in soft ringlets and her eyes were done up in green makeup that made her look more like a doll than a real person. The long fake eyelashes were back and had been joined by a sheer pink lip-gloss that shimmered with enticingly. The lip-gloss was one that looked continually wet, and looking at it sent small shudders up and down Kid's spine. The thought of kissing her snuck into his head again as his eyes darted from her mouth to the hemline of her skirt. Something other than Maka's hair and makeup was different, but he couldn't figure out what without staring at her like a pervert.

Patty walked by him with her fingers spread out and her hands held upward as if her fingernails were wet. On further examination Kid noted they were in fact wet and had a coat of bright green nail polish and little frogs stuck to it.

"Frogs?" Kid questioned trying to peel his eyes away from Maka and distract himself with Patty's weird choice in manicures.

"Keroppi Hasunoue from Hello Kitty Maka brought them over."

"I got them at Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro, when I was visiting my Grandma last year."

Kid's eyes darted back to Maka, finding it unbearable not to look at her when she was talking.

He finally figured out what else was different. Maka had borrowed a pair of Liz's black over-the-knee stockings. On his sister they were just socks, but on Maka they were sexy as hell. She hadn't tied the red Spartoi kerchief around her neck yet and Kid kept getting glimpses of a lacey bra as she moved. The bra had some sort of lifting effect that baffled him. The spatula he was holding beat on the frying pan in a loud rhythm that resembled his own heart beat as he lost all coherent thought.

Maka slumped down into a chair, which somehow ruined the mind numbing effect and allowed Kid to think again.

"I can't believe we stayed up all night!" Maka said staring tiredly at the empty white plate in front of her.

"Least you two got to sleep a little," Patty pouted. "I sat up all night at the door with a bat."

"We are thankful for your sacrifice." Liz laughed. Of the three Liz looked the least exhausted. Liz looked down right sparkly.

Patty moved her chair closer to Maka's so she could lean on her. Maka put her arm around Patty's shoulder and Patty dropped her head back and pretended to snore.

"Can't wait to get to class so I can go to sleep." she said, burying her face in Maka's hair.

"That reminds me!" Liz sang, "I need your Death Express card Kiddo."

"What for?" Kid asked suspiciously as he put scrambled eggs on Patty's and Liz's plates.

"I want to go shopping today and pick up some new clothes for you." Liz brightly.

"And you owe me ice cream." Patty reminded him.

"You want to go today?" Kid asked, thinking of his study plans with Maka.

"This way Maka can babysit you and Patty and I can go shopping without you getting in my way." Liz said more to Maka than to Kid.

"And we're getting colors. Lots and Lots of colors." Patty sang. She grabbed a box of crayons off the sideboard and held them up in front of Kid's face.

"See all these? You were born to wear Cerise!" she said whimsically.

Kid looked at the pink crayon and got worried.

"I need to set some rules before you go out and waste your time buying things I won't wear." He said, rocking back a little on his heels.

"Maka how do you like your eggs?" Patty asked, ignoring him.

"Over easy or fried with the yokes runny." Maka replied getting up and standing next to Kid. She was evidently planning to cook her own eggs and he stopped her as she reached for the pan.

"I can do over easy." He assured her shakily. He was both terrified and turned on. Maka was in his personal space with that sexy bra peeking out and Patty and Liz were planning on going on a shopping spree for trendy new clothes for him. He stepped closer to the stove and fought to regain some control.

"No shirts without buttons." He said demanded and cracked a egg into the skillet. It hit the pan rather hard but lucky for him the yolk didn't break.

"Nope! You're getting at least twelve T-shirts." Liz replied, admiring her nails.

"How about two T-shirts" Kid offered back.

"Five." Patty suggested, happily throwing out numbers at random.

"Twelve." Liz insisted, her blue eyes threatening violence. She ran her sharp nails over her glass of orange juice and made a horrible scraping noise.

Kid gulped, feeling Maka's breath on his neck. She was watching him cook and it made him nervous. Thoughts of kissing her in the hallway filled his mind again. Did she want him to kiss her? Was he allowed to do that in front of Patty and Liz? No, that would get him beaten up by Patty. Maybe Maka just had a hang up about cooking her own food just like he did.

"You okay? You stayed up all night you and you look like you're about to drop Kid-kun. You sure you don't want me to cook? I can make you breakfast, I cook for Black Star and Soul all the time."

A wicked pain of jealously shot through his chest and he did his best to mask his face. "No, that's all right. I like cooking for you." He replied and then looked over his shoulder at Liz. "Okay then, eight T-shirts. I could live with eight."

Liz smiled at him ruthlessly. "Eight it is." and she scribbled the number down on a notepad."I figured we'll go for a layered look so I'll buy eight shirts you can wear with them. I'll make sure those have buttons and can be pressed nicely."

Kid relaxed a bit. This wasn't so bad. "No jogging suits or sportswear what so ever."

"How about cargo pants? Those can be ironed and they usually have symmetrical pockets in them." Liz asked.

"If they have symmetrical pockets I'll live with them. Just make sure they don't have one of those loop things on one side that's meant to hold a hammer. I'm not a carpenter and I don't need tool belt built into my pants."

"Understood" Liz said happily. She wrote something else on the paper and Kid cracked another egg into the pan.

"Since you're cooking breakfast, do you want me to cook dinner tonight?" Maka asked.

"Yes I'd like that." Kid replied, shuddering when her breath ghosted over the back of his neck.

"Ooooh!" Patty howled. "You two are going to be all alone, till dinner time? Aniki you're going to behave yourself till we get home, right?" Kid could see the threat behind Patty's eyes even though she was smiling brightly.

"I'll be a perfect gentleman." Kid assured her.

"You better be a lot more of a gentleman then you were last night." Patty warned.

"Yes, no harassing your baby sitter." Liz teased, "If he gets out of line with you Maka, you just hit him like you do Black Star and Soul."

"No, not the same," Patty chimed in "You have to do it harder, or he can't feel it."

"Yeah, don't hold back." Liz ordered. She and Patty smothered their eggs in Tobasco sauce and dived in.

Kid gently de-panned Maka's eggs and popped toast and bacon onto her plate."Tabasco sauce is on the table if you eat it."

"I like my eggs plain. These look great." Maka commented looking at the two perfect sunny side up eggs on her plate. She sat back down next to Patty who took one look at her plate and began to laugh.

"It's a happy breakfast. It's smiling at you!" She said, pointing at Maka's plate where the eggs and bacon formed a crude face.

"How come Maka gets a happy breakfast and I don't" Patty half pouted.

"Because you don't like your yolks runny." Kid answered, sitting down with a plate almost identical to Maka's.

"You like your eggs sunny side up?" Maka asked him.

"Yeah, scrambled eggs are too messy" Kid said, pointing to Liz's plate. "I don't mind omelets, but I can't fold them. I've tried."

"Tsubaki puts omelets in her bentos that are real good; they're sweet though."

"I don't think I'd like sugary eggs." Kid said dubiously.

"I wonder what the boys at school today are going to say about Maka's new look." Patty said, figuring Kid and Maka were going to talk about dairy products all day if she didn't step in.

"They're going to love it. I do great work." Liz said proudly.

Kid looked Maka up and down and winced. He realized he felt pretty insecure about sharing her sexy stockings and made-up face with the general public. Especially the male general public.

"We still have some time if you want to review a little bit on zombies before we head out for class." he offered, stalling for time.

Liz looked at him in disgust. "Zombie rituals. We justfinished breakfast and you to want to talk about zombie rituals. Gross."

Patty gave him an uninterested glance and turned on the TV for early morning cartoons. "Five AM conversations should be reduced to anime and cartoons. You can't seriously think we're going to study before school. You want me to record "Sailor Moon" for you Kiddo?"

"Uh, maybe we should get to school early," Kid said breaking a little bit of sweat. Come to think of it, if they got to school early enough he wouldn't have to deal with every guy in the hallway staring at Maka.

Liz snickered when she saw Kid's expression go from quick horror to conniving. _Stupid Kid, you ought to be proud she chose to be your arm candy, and show off a bit. That's what I would do if I was a guy. Instead I bet you're trying to come up with a way to cover her up._

"Maka you look kind of cold why don't you wear my Spartoi jacket today?" Kid offered, taking off his white jacket and zipping it up around Maka..

"Thanks Kid." Maka said snuggling into the jacket. I forgot to bring my coat with me last night."

"Well, we should get going if we're going to get there early." Kid said. Liz and Patty twisted into their identical gun forms while Kid summoned Beelzebub.

"I'll just hop on the back. It can hold the two of us, right?" Maka said happily

"Yeah sure," Kid stammered. "The idea of skating across town with Maka clinging to his waist had potential."

"It will be the same as riding on the back of Soul's motorcycle." Maka mused.

Kid nearly glared at Maka but quickly masked his face. He didn't want to think about Soul this early in the morning, much less be compared to him. He certainly didn't want to think about Maka wrapping her arms around Soul to ride to school on his motorcycle every damn morning. Kid brushed off the aggression he was feeling and decided it was just nerves. Soul was Maka's weapon and that was that. He would have to be careful and not get to jealous over stupid stuff or else he'd look like a complete ass in front of Maka.

It wasn't long before they were walking through semi crowded halls. Kid was happy to see that they had beaten most of the students to class. Maka unzipped the coat as she was wearing and handed it back to Kid.

"You can keep it if you want. It's kind of chilly in here" he offered.

"Thank you Kid-kun" she said, taking the jacket back and snuggling into it. Team Fire and Thunder came in and Harvar stopped in front of Maka's desk so unexpectedly that Jackie plowed into him from behind.

"Gee Maka, did you do something different with your hair." He wasn't looking at Maka's hair, his eyes seemed to be bouncing back and forth between her breasts and her legs, taking in the new sculpted figure.

"Yeah Liz curled it for me." Maka said sheepishly.

Kid watched and took it all in. Ox was also staring but couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't get him hit by Kim, so he kept silent.

"Oh wow, you wore makeup today." Jacqueline said hopping up to Maka, and grabbing her face for a closer look. Kim followed suit and gave Maka a big smile.

Kid straightened his tie nervously. The look Harvar had given to Maka was enough to prickle his protective side and he wasn't going to stand around and let the boys from Fire and Thunder chat up his girlfriend.

"There you are!" Tsubaki said with a giggle as she came bounding into the classroom, "Soul's been looking everywhere for you." She gave Maka the once over. "I really like what you done with your hair and make-up. You look so mature." she complemented.

"I didn't do it, it's all Liz's handiwork. I just had to sit there." Maka replied shyly

"It's glamorous isn't it? I was going for a kind of rock star chic." Liz explained, happy to be receiving all the praise.

Soul and Black Star entered the room together,and Soul stopped and stared at Maka. Black Star followed Soul's line of vision and started staring at Maka as well. Both boys' heads fell to the side and they looked dumb founded.

"When when did you get those?" Black Star stammered, pointing at Maka's chest.

"So tiny tits you get a visit from the breast fairy last night?" Soul laughed sarcastically and pushed Black Star out the way with his foot.

Maka's was unraveling a little. She fidgeted with her papers and nearly dumped her books on the floor. She folded her arms over her chest, and felt like she was going to die from embarrassment.

"Don't mind them; they're just used to seeing you in sports bras. That one fits you correctly so when I go shopping today I'll pick you up some more like it." Liz cooed only so Maka could hear.

"No don't. I don't like this kind of attention I don't want to be talked about like this." She whispered back to Liz.

Maka felt like she was dying from embarrassment and her heart was thrumming so loudly she thought she'd be sick. Luckily, Professor Stein entered the room and chatter ended. Kid sat beside her and she amused herself by looking at the wisps of hair that curled around his neck. He caught her staring at him a few times but just gave a gentle smile and placed a hand on her knee.

Professor Stein broke off her daydreaming by calling her name.

"So Maka, how did the Egyptians prepare their corpses for Lazarus?"

Maka looked up from Kids's neck and realized she had no idea what was going on.

"I'm sorry Professor Stein. What did you ask?"

"Never mind," Stein huffed, rolling his eyes, "Soul why don't you enlighten us about Egyptian embalming methods since its obvious your partner doesn't know and can't cover for you."

He ignored Maka's outraged protest and called on Soul, who looked up at him in a stupor. He had been staring at Maka from three seats away, reviewing at all the changes she had made for school today. She really looked nice. She almost looked like a girl. And it was all for Kid.

"I don't know did they curl their hair and throw on a bunch of make-up?" Soul said, his sarcasm aimed more at Maka than at Stein.

"Actually make-up and hair arrangements were part of the process of embalming, something we continue to do today. Nice work, Soul A+"

"What else did they do?"

Ox jumped in with the answer. "They thoroughly removed all organs from the body mostly through the nostrils and put them in jars. It is said that the Osiris cults who discovered Lazarus refused to fill the corpses with sand, and would fill the corpse with Lazarus instead, and this was considered the miracle of Osiris. Because the Lazarus would make the corpse rise as a zombie."

How could that be though? Maka asked, "How can you raise a corpse without a soul? I mean look at Professor Sid, he still has a soul. Without a soul how could the body think or make decisions?"

"The Osiris Hierophants and Acolytes didn't care about that, what they wanted were puppet dictators that could push the ways of their church and politics." Stein told her.

"So pretty much the people who died all became slaves of the Osiris cult. It's pretty twisted to lose your life and then become a slave because of it." Liz said engrossed in the conversation.

"It was twisted. That's why my father had the Death Scythes lay the Osiris cult asunder." Kid said coldly.

"What does asunder mean?" Patty whispered to Maka

"It means they killed everyone, Asunder means to destroy." Maka whispered back.

"Okay, I want you to study chapter 27, which deals with the Nazi party and its search for Lazarus. Also I want a complete essay on the Osiris cults. I'll collect them before the field trip."

"You can't still be considering going on the field trip? Surely you read the reports about Haiti!" Kid blurted out in shock.

"Yes I did but I did promise the class a field trip." Stein said firmly, "So we'll be going to Jamaica instead. Now the essays I want tomorrow should be one page, double spaced and don't try to use some gigantic 18 point font to fill up the paper. No larger than 12 and no smaller than 11 - I do wear glasses you know. And Patty I want yours typed; no crayon and none of that chicken scratch you try to pass off as handwriting. Class dismissed."

"Maka will help me." Patty said grabbing Maka by the arm and pulling her out to the courtyard.

"Hey wait up." Soul called to Maka. Patty just walked faster, half dragging Maka behind her.

"Maka, I made you lunch." Soul shouted out over the heads of the people filling the hallway.

Patty turned around held her eyelid down and stuck out her tongue at Soul.

Soul dashed to catch up to Maka and Patty but was stopped in his tracks when Stein came up behins him and grabbed his collar.

"Are you aware that you had na appointment with Miss Nygus and I this morning that you skipped out on?"

Souls went from confused to scared in a matter of seconds. "My cat did say Mira had called but I didn't know I had an appointment or anything I missed. But I'm feeling fine now!" Soul spun around to run just as Mira Mygus appeared in front of him.

"Oh good you found him."

"My office or yours?" Stein cooed seductively.

"Mine. We're not going to dissect the poor boy after all and yours is well…dirty."

Mira grabbed Souls hand and walked him down the hallway as if he was a grade-schooler. The odd glances from the other student's made him nervous as Mira pulled him into the nurse's office. She sat him in a chair and waved a tongue depressor in his face.

"Now say Ahh"

"I've been well for days why do I still have to come here?" Soul snapped.

"You know my bedside manner is going to disappear fast if you don't shut up and do as what I tell you to do!"


	9. Chapter 9

Forever in the Never after chapter 9

Soul found Maka and Patty with books open under a large tree. The odd thing was he had never seen Patty crack open a book in her life.

"Great just great." Soul said twisting the twin thermos off to his side.

Soul arched his back and began walking out into the courtyard. He looked around noticed the courtyard was nearly empty of all students, and shook off a shiver that had raised down his arm. Only Maka and Patty were sitting out here alone. Flipping idly through textbooks. Soul watched as Patty lifted her eyes from her book and rose from the pavement.

"She looked slightly angry." but she didn't say anything.

Souls eyes fell on Maka then, she didn't look up from her book but was mouthing the words she had just read obviously trying to commit them to memory.

"You keep running off on me today are we uncool?" Soul said sitting down in front of Maka.

Soul watched Patty shift to move away from him, her movements made Soul uncomfortable like he was invading something.

"No I'm fine." Maka said looking up to Soul and seeing a sorry expression.

"You did just embarrass me in front of the entire class but I figured I'd be the bigger person about it." Maka said sourly, she snapped another page of her book and took out a highlighter and began filling the margins with notes.

"Here I made you lunch" Soul pleaded

A apologetic look crossing his face as he tossed Maka the thermos. Maka fumbled the thermos with her left hand and Patty caught it for her. Patty looked up from her text book annoyed, something was wrong with Maka's hand, Patty probably blamed him for it. Soul decided.

"You hungry?" Patty questioned flipping a page and laid the thermos at Maka's feet. I can go buy us a school lunch.

"No I'm ok." Maka said driving through another pages and high lightening what she thought was important.

Patty gave Soul a dirty look and got up and made her way back inside to the schools lunch line. Soul wonder what her problem was but figured he didn't care anyway so he just concentrated on mending things with Maka.

"Your arm, did it get hurt bad when I caught you." Soul said looking at the ace wrap that was wrapped around Maka's wrist.

"Yeah but its ok." Maka said eyeing the thermos again.

A large breeze caught the leaves in the tree's and blew all the fall colors through the air. Maka sat there wishing she had Kid's jacket still. She lifted the thermos and tried to open it with her good hand but instead her right arm protested against holding the thermos.

"Let me." Soul said taking the thermos from her hands, he gave it a good jerk and handed it and the spoon back to Maka.

He stared at Maka again and realized just how beautiful she did look today. No wonder people were staring at her. Maka slender form just seemed to fit perfectly in that Spartoi uniform, her honey blond hair looked like that vocaloid Miko Hatsuni the way it was curled up. She had lipstick on that he didn't notice before in class, probably because it was one of those glossy nude shades. Her cheeks were done up in some soft shade of pink and her eyelashes and eyes looked like something that had been airbrushed in a magazine. The amazing thing about all the makeup was that Soul couldn't tare himself away from Maka's eyes. He had thought normally they were some shade of color mix between brown and green, but today they twinkled like peridots. The lime green had a unnatural color something that just appeared haunting.

"Something has been happening lately that I just don't understand." Soul said finding his shoes more comforting to look at than this new glamorous version of Maka.

"I feel like your pushing to move forward, and I thinking it's causing problems between us." Soul said again his voice was nearly inaudible.

"What are you talking about?" Maka choked out.

Something was wrong, something was very wrong with this conversation, and she didn't know what, Soul was trying to say. A knot formed in her throat, was he trying to tell her he didn't want to be partners anymore.

"I think it happened sometime after I became a death scythe. You became obsessed with being a grigori and having those stupid wings and the only thing I could think about was everything was happening too fast, that soon I'd be up there with your father, as one of lord deaths scythes, and I just wasn't ready for that. "

Soul didn't add that he wasn't looking forward to being a death scythe now because that would end his partnership with Maka. It would be over than, all their adventures, all the evenings sharing an apartment together, he would no longer be able to stand at her side, to watch her, to protect her. He would have to stand at Lord Death side and probably be reassigned to one of the other contents that no longer had one of Lord Deaths weapons to watch over it.

Possibly that traitors Justin Law's territory or maybe Tezca Tlipoca, old territory, it was known all over the school that Shinigami-sama was short staffed and that put even more pressure on the weapons of the Spartoi to reach a point where they could truly call themselves one of lord deaths weapons.

The freezing cold air bit at his lips and his teeth began to chatter, Maka was wearing just a skirt and thin sailor blouse but somehow she wasn't acting even the slightest bit cold. Soul questioned his strength again. Was it what he thought for so long, that the real strength of this partnership was Maka, and that she was just light years ahead of him when it came to being strong. Soul snuffed his nose it was beginning to run, Maka just sat there quiet and unmoving and wordless.

"What are you trying to say Soul." Maka whispered

"I'm trying to say that I think things are changing too fast and maybe we need to slow down and consider what we're doing and if it's actually right for us."

"Slow down." Maka snorted angry.

"We have been dragging our feet for months, you don't want to work on flying were taking all the easy extra assignments and supplement missions. Hell Soul your so close to being a better death scythe than my father and you want to slow down."

"I don't care about being one of Lord Death Scythes. That's what I'm trying to tell you." Soul yelled back.

His voice was strangled with emotion. Torn between his unknown feelings for Maka and his desire to be the best. The two feeling just didn't match up and Soul had come to the decision, that Maka was important to him than every become one of Lord Deaths Scythes.

Maka was taken aback and stopped her tirade she held a betrayed look on her face.

"But, But you love eating souls. I thought you wanted to be the best the strongest of lord deaths weapons." Maka stuttered

"Not if it mean that I got to be re-assigned to Europe or South America. " Soul pleaded back.

"Not if I have to be separated from you." he thought to himself silently.

"So all that talk about wanting to surpass your brother Wes, was that all just talk." Maka yelled back.

Maka felt sick to her stomach, what was he thinking, was he wanting a new partner, was this his excuse. What the hell was Soul trying to do did he really just want to throw it all away. Was he tired of her.

"I just want to slow down Maka. We don't have to be the best. We just need to do things at our own pace. Besides look at all the people we fought, do you really think I'm as good a weapon as Grikio, or better yet Justin Law. Hell I'm nowhere near as good as them." Soul complained.

His confidence had been shattered because the countless losses to Grikio, when he had observed Jusin Law fight he knew that he was nowhere near as strong a weapon of either of them. Soul could simply not fight without Maka. It was her strength that made him strong as steel. Without Maka he could only cling to the side lines.

"But we beat Grikio." Maka said sniffling, the cold had begun to make her nose run as well.

A breeze bit into her and shaded her face nice and pink. It wrapped under her uniform and gave her flesh a current of pain. Her chest was hurting for some reason. It sensed unease from Soul. I sensed that he was truly unhappy right now, and was fighting with confusion she didn't understand.

"Maka you know as well as I do we just got lucky! Grikio was about to kill the two of us." Soul argued.

"But we outsmarted him." Maka sniffled again, why was her heart pounding so hard.

"That's not the same as a win. That's what I meant by saying we just got lucky." Soul looked at Maka who was near crying. Her shoulders and breath were coming faster but she hadn't broke down yet. He suddenly had the urge to hold her, and he just couldn't shake it away.

He crawled over to Maka on his knees his hands picking up rocks and debri from the pavement he slid in next to her and wiped her nose on his sleeve and cupped her face in his hands.

"I want to be as good as Justin Law Maka, then I might be satisfied with becoming one of Lord Death Scythe, but that's not going to happen by just feeding me souls and practicing flying. I have to train same as you see Black Star doing all the time, and I feel at the speed we have been moving, I haven't been doing enough of that."

"I don't understand what the difference is, you're a great weapon." Maka sniffled.

Soul smiled this time Soul reached out for her, he knock Maka back against his chest forcefully, and wrapped his arms around her.

"I know you don't understand. But what I'm asking for is you to wait for me, and give me a chance to catch up." Souls red eyes pierced down into Maka's hazel ones.

"Let's just take things slow. Nice and slow like a ballad." He said strumming his fingers against Maka's shoulder.

Was this all he wanted to say, Soul thought to himself, somewhere from inside him he heard little ogre answer no. You're a coward soul why not let me speak before you screw things up and lose what's most precious to you.

Soul shut the door quickly to this voice. This was all he could confess today. He wasn't ready to tell Maka yet. His real fear, the fear of leaving her or of she leaving him would have to be made known later. So he made the decision that he had confided in her enough for one day. He swallowed hard and looked at Maka's beautiful face again. An urge came over him, that he wanted to wipe all that make-up off. He wanted his Maka back the way she was suppose to be scrawny, tomboyish, flat, and unattractive to nearly everyone but him. He wanted her to look like a little girl.

But he didn't act on the urge, instead he pulled Maka up to her feat by her forearms and simply said "Let's go inside its too cold to eat outside today."

They collected there things and started in the door, Patty was holding a tray and behind her Kid was holding two.

"We were just coming to get you." Patty sang,

"Kiddo got you a tray, I told him you wasn't hungry but he didn't listen." Patty sad hopping up and down jiggling the contents of her tray.

"Soul will help me eat if I don't finish everything." Maka said softly.

Kid watched Maka's body language and questioned her with his eyes. She looked like she had been upset. He looked Maka over head to toe with a concern and looked. The he examined Soul to see if he was a little worse for wear and found nothing. He handed Maka a tray and touched her shoulder. Her skin felt like ice, so he pushed his tray into Souls hands and stripped off his white jacket.

"Your freezing, " he commented in a huff and draped the jacket back around Maka's shoulders.

"I don't know what could have been so important that you couldn't have come in got my coat, from me but don't do that, you'll get sick." Kid scolded.

"Jesus" soul snorted

"henpecked much?" Soul commented to Maka.

Soul looked at Death the Kid and saw a snarl form on his face but it quickly faded away when he looked at Maka. He motioned Maka and Soul over politely to a table where Liz and Black Star were eating their lunch.

"Where is Tsubaki?" Maka said sitting down at the table with her tray. Soul watched as kid slid in next to her and saw Patty was getting ready to do the same but he plunked the tray Kid had given him down next to Maka before Patty had the chance.

"Intercepted." Soul thought to himself snickering as Patty's face got red and formed into a pout. She looked like she may just throw a temper tantrum in the lunch room but instead she plopped her tray down next to her sister Liz, and gave Soul the stink eye.

"Tsubaki said she wanted to check out a book from the library so she was going to skip lunch. Frankly I think she just on another one of her fad diets." Black Star said with a huff.

Black Star squeeze a couple of mini hamburgers in between his cheeks and followed it with a large gulp of water.

"Go ahead and eat Soul. I'll share with Maka I'm not real hungry either." Kid smiled politely.

"Amazes me Patty is eating so much considering that big breakfast we all had this morning." Liz said picking at something that looked like it was tapioca.

"Dude you all went out to breakfast this morning how come I didn't get invited along." Black Star said with dismay.

"No Maka spent the night last night!" Patty sang happily inhaling a couple of jello cups and starting on a thick looking milkshake.

"You didn't tell us Maka spent the night over at guillotine manor" Black Star said looking to Soul confused.

"I didn't know she did till just now." Soul griped and began shoveling food into his mouth.

"Yeah we had so much fun, Sis did Maka's make up and we messed with each other's hair and played video games and ate bar food."

"And we viciously re-arranged Kid's closet." Liz added cracking her knuckles.

This caught Kid off guard. He looked over at Patty and Liz who were both smiling maliciously at him. Patty was now playing with her food, and Liz had her tongue bulging in her cheek.

"Oh so it was some sort of slumber party." Soul said with relief.

"You didn't think we were going to let that little incident go now did you Kid-kun." Patty said happily.

Soul smirked, Kid looked like he was in the hot seat with the Thompson sisters, and he was happy to know Maka really must have spent most of her time with them doing girly things, than spending alone time with death to kid.

"Yes and were going to do all kinds of nasty things to that closet of yours today." Liz said happily brandishing Kid's credit card.

" I'm thinking a entire wardrobe make over, pink, green, blue. Maybe some tight leather pants. " Liz said arrogantly sucking on a Styrofoam cup.

Kid was now white and frozen in place and Black Star and Soul let out a belly full of laughter they were holding in.

"Kid in PINK leather pants. Oh god I want to see that." Soul screeched milk coming out of his nose.

Black Star was crying he was laughing so hard. "I can't image god here in anything other than a business suit. "

"Seriously though, next time you go out Maka give me a warning. That's twice now that you went out without bothering to tell me you were even leaving. I looked all over for you this morning, I didn't know you spend the night with the girls." Soul lectured.

Soul had been mad till he heard that Maka was with Patty and Liz and not Kid. He had relaxed a little now and noticed Maka had her hand resting on Kid's.

Soul noticed she was whispered something like "Just clothes you eyes. It's not that big of a deal, they messed up your closet."

Soul watched as Kid gripped Maka's hand and his eyes fell on her, he had some kind of blush playing against his cheeks and he wasn't freaking out anymore. He was just staring at Maka with a adoring look on his face.

"What you're not going to run home and check it." Black Star snorted.

"I've seen you break down over smaller things than that." Soul added watching Kid. Hid eyes were still lingering over Maka.

Kid didn't answer he just kept staring at Maka some more, and Soul was becoming more and more irritated. Kid wasn't moving his hand, and Maka wasn't back handing him with a "Maka Chop" either. What the hell was going on.

Kid reasoned he couldn't just get up and leave with Maka because that would cause another fight between Maka and Soul, and considering that she looked like she had salvaged that friendship he wasn't going to intentionally interfere. Instead he found another way to pick at Soul, one that would put him in his place but wouldn't get him in trouble with Maka.

"By the way Maka isn't coming home today either." Kid said looking Soul in the eye.

"She and I have a study date tonight and she's planning on cooking Liz and Patty something special for dinner." Kid replied in a matter of fact way being sure to keep out any smugness in his tone.

Soul wanted to yell and argue but he knew that was what Kid wanted. To make him appear like the bad guy. Two can play at this game he thought.

"Maka I thought we were going to slow down a bit, and train a little." Soul said perceptively.

He looked at Maka who was now struggling for a answer, he could see Maka wasn't really sure what to do. So he decided to help her out again.

"Of course if you want to drag our feat a little longer and goof off with Patty and Liz tonight I don't mind I'll just stay at home and watch a movie, maybe catch up on some homework." Soul said throwing out his bait.

Soul knew Maka was always pushing to train she wanted to be the best, and even after there conversation a few minutes ago she would be just as motivated if not more motivated to train. Than ever. He looked at Maka and saw a grateful smile on her face.

"Really do you mean it!" Maka squealed happily.

" I promise we'll start training really hard tomorrow, I just got to catch up with this Lazarus homework and I promised I'd help Patty with her essay since Dr. Stein singled her out today. "

Soul looked taken aback, Maka was choosing to goof off over training. That never happened she always pushed for the two of them to be the best Meister and weapon team. What the hell just happened, how did everything just backfire on him.

"That's really considerate of you Soul." Kid said smiling from ear to ear.

Soul realized somehow he had been out maneuvered. He looked at kid again with disdain and felt another person smiling at him smugly. Patty had the same look as kid but hers was less concealed. She mouthed the words "Gotcha".

"Don't worry you can have Maka back tomorrow." Patty sang

"I'll make sure we keep a doggy back of dinner for you, that way you have lunch tomorrow, since you were nice enough to think of brining Maka one today." Kid added happily wiggling his eyebrows.

"That's a great idea" Maka sang happily not noticing both Kid and Patty's voices were dripping with sarcasm. She than began telling Patty's the ideas she had for both of their essays.

Patty burst out laughing than and fell out of her seat.

"Do you think it's a stupid topic for a essay." Maka questioned embarrassed.

Patty clapped her hands together and tried to silence her laughing "OH no I love it." she said gleefully. "doggy bag" Patty murmured under her breath.

Well I guess we need to get going to gym class Liz said looking over the clock, I don't want to get caught skipping it again, that crazy teacher Mira Nyagus threatened to mummify if I didn't show up again.

The girls sprinted one way to their gym class and the boys were left sitting at the table alone.

"You do know what your doing is wrong." Black Star spoke casually to Death the Kid.

He thought Soul might need a little bit of a push, and Kid might need a bit of a mediator to keep things under control so he continued to sit at the table.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kid said stoically.

"He's talking about you hitting on my miester." Soul interjected, his voice was dripping with threat.

"I don't know why you would consider it wrong, unless you have feelings for her that you haven't shared." Kid commented coolly.

"You know damn well how I feel about Maka, even Black Star noticed." Soul said jumping up from his seat and driving his fist in the table.

"Have you ever thought about for a instant, how you are changing the dynamics of this team. What the hell is going to happen if I can't resonate with her anymore. The bond between a weapon and a miester is based on a mutual understanding of the other person needs. " Soul retorted hotly.

"Do you think I understand Patty and Liz most the time?" Kid chuckled back.

"You've got it all wrong, you don't even understand the founding principles of resonance." Kid added sourly.

"Resonance is based on knowing what the other person needs from you, and sharing that mutual trust." Soul argued strongly.

"Actually your wrong about that." Black Star added quietly.

"It was the same way Maka was thinking when she couldn't resonate with me. You don't have to understand the other persons needs and what motivates them, you just got to be able to respect them." Black Star spoke to Soul rationality.

"I don't think you understand Maka's needs as well as you think you do." Kid added, he was trying to keep his voice emotionless not to anger Soul.

Souls anger raised with that little remark. He felt the blood vessels on his forehead start to pop up through his skin.

"And I guess you think you know what Maka needs better than I do." Soul growled clenching his fists.

Kid bit his tongue, He did believe he knew what Maka wanted but he wasn't going to say it in front of Black Star and Soul. Maka wanted a family that wouldn't run out on her and cheat on her. Maka wanted someone that could respect her and form a home with, that's why she and the Thompson sisters were becoming so close, Soul didn't know how to provide these things though. Sure he could be faithful but Soul didn't respect his own family so he didn't understand the differences of sharing a house with someone and creating a home with someone.

Sharing a house just meant you divided up chores, shared a similar type of space with a similar style of living, while creating a home entailed that you loved the person, that the sanctity of choices you made were shared with the people you loved.

Kid realized many men didn't understand this concept, Kid let the sisters run amuck with his credit card, because he loved them and realized that to them everyday felt like Christmas. He knew the girls always bought little gifts for him to show their appreciation, that was the way his two Cinderella's expressed their love. They straitened things around the house, even though it really wasn't in their nature. They even went out of their way to keep him from having a complete melt downs when his OCD flared uncontrollable. That kind of consideration was what Maka was looking for, Maka wanted the sanctity of a home and Kid was willing to give that to her, and anything else he could give to make her happy.

"I'm in love with Maka Albram." Kid whispered softly to Soul and Black Star.

Black Star broke into laughter, "And you think you're the only one."

Kid didn't like the implication of those words but he didn't let it show. The only thing he could do was reason with the two of them right now, or else's this was going to turn into a very bloody fight, and he doubted Maka would find his efforts romantic.

"I have never been in love before and yes I may be going about a few things wrong but I can't just stand by and wait and hope that Maka will notice like you do Soul, that's just not the type of person I am." Kid protested his voice was filling with emotion.

"Shit, I knew you were weird but what a girly thing to say, completely un-manly." Black Star said hopping up and down.

Black Star felt that conversation was over, Kid had just completely humiliated himself trying to explain why he was chasing Maka. He had broken another rule of the man-code just then, and Black Star concluded that being around women too much had made the guy act more like a girl than one of them. It was obviously he didn't have a clue about the man-code and that was all that it took to satisfy Black Star. He looked over Soul and didn't find the response he was hoping for. Soul was seething, his knuckles were white and his fists were shaking. Obviously Soul was more pissed off at the confession than he was.

"If you think I'm going to just give up and let Maka become part of your damn harem, because you claim you love her think otherwise." Soul spat

A drop of Souls spit hit Kid's dress shoe. Black Star looked down and assessed Kid's face his polite dignity dropped. He too was shaking now and he aggressively grabbed a hand full of paper towels from the table to wipe off his shoe.

"If you are referring to Patty and Liz they are not my harem." Kid said between gritted teeth.

Kid threw the paper towels back at Souls chest.

"My sisters and I do not live in that kind of corruption I assure you."

Black Star stepped in between the two of them as Soul winded his fist back. That's enough we got the answer we were looking for Soul. You might not like it but he told you. The guy didn't know what he was doing was wrong, it's been done already there's nothing we can do about it.

"I won't lose Maka to someone like you!" Soul screamed

"Its not your choice, you're not her father, you're not her brother. Your her roommate, and her weapon. For god sakes quit thinking about yourself and think about what Maka wants for a change."

"That's the one thing I hate about you Soul, your selfish." Kid argued back.

"Why aren't you boys in gym class?" Sid barked. Seeing Kid and Soul were getting to start swinging fist any second.

He eyed Black Star and noticed he was completely calm. Damn for once his boy was acting like a mediator. Why couldn't that have happened when he was alive.

"We were just leaving" Black Star said happy a teacher had come to investigate the noise. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to keep Soul and Kid from fighting, and at least if a teacher was here he could stop them."

Black Star pushed on both Soul and Kid and began dragging their sorry asses down the hallway. What a day this was turning out to be. Why did he have to be the big guy every one relied on. Oh yeah that was because he was the Star. Stars always have people relying on them to solve their problems. Black Star smiled grandly as he pushed through the door, running would be good, they could all just pour that anger out into training. The bell rang as soon as he thrusted Soul and Death the Kid inside

School was over, so much for a good workout and bonding friendships through sweet.

"Oh come on!" Black Star screamed stomping his foot.

"This is my favorite damn class and the only one I'm good at!" He kicked Soul in the back and sent him flying and then tossed Kid for good measure.

"You idiots made me miss my favorite class." Black Star pouted.

"I didn't even get to watch the girls run." He whined some more stomping on a nearby barrel the school used as a trash can.

Black Star watched as Tsubaki, Maka, Patty Liz, Kim an Jacqueline came walking back from the track. The white t-shirts were nearly transparent from sweat and the short little exercised shorts had crawled up their legs making them even shorter. He watched as the girls disappear into the shower room.

"Best part of the whole god damn day and I miss it to listen to you two ladies bitch and moan." Black Star stated squashing the barrel into a man-hole cover.

Kid was dusting himself off and chuckling a bit, and Soul was too.

" I didn't know you were that big of pervert Black Star." Soul said laughing.

Kid tried to hide his laugh, "Well I guess all teenage boys have one thing in common."

Harvar was the first of the men to make it up to the shower, "You missed a hell of a good show today. Black Star. All the breast were in full motion."

Black Star smacked his face. "I knew it" he whined.

Soul and Kid began laughing harder and both sat down on the bench.

"I meant what I said before I'm not going to just give up on Maka because you confessed to her or something." Soul repeated but there was no hostility in his voice.

" I wouldn't expect you to. But I'm not giving up either" Kid said emotionless.

Black Star followed Harvar into change, "Please tell me what happened I need details."

"Then we have a understanding than that neither one of us is giving up and we'll just let Maka choose." Soul stated.

"It was always Maka's choice in the first place" Kid snorted.

Patty came out first tugging Maka after her. The girls skipped out giggling.

"Maka is making me something special for dinner." Patty proclaimed to Kid.

"Well that's nice of her," Kid said raising from the bench he straitened his ties and raised his hands to straighten a jacket that wasn't there.

"Here Kid-kun you must be cold." Maka said handing over the Spartoi uniform guys white linen coat.

"I don't feel the elements," Kid commented and draped it right back over Maka's shoulders again.

"Transparent." Soul mumbled to himself so only Kid could hear.

"I'm going to the store today, do you need me to pick up anything particular for the house other than milk?"

"I have to go too, to get some groceries for the dinner I'm making tonight and Patty's special breakfast."

"Might as well go together than." Soul shot back,

" I'll leave my bike here so I can carry the groceries home."

Maka watched as Patty was dancing around singing about her special breakfast and Liz was trying to calm her down.

"I guess we're off to the Mall than," Liz said happily taking Patty by the hand.

Kid was getting into his wallet and handed Liz some extra money,

" Make sure Patty gets a ice cream today, I forgot to buy it for her yesterday and I promised her one" Kid said quietly.

"I will, and don't worry about fixing your closet till I get home, we'll organize all the clothes by color and type so they won't give you a complex." Liz said straitening Kid's shirt collar.

"So you really think of them as your sisters?" Soul snorted.

"Do you really think I would let them get away with so much if I didn't?" Kid snorted amused.

"Come on Kid-kun we got a Lazarus assignment, and I need to get to the store." She looped her arm with kids and began walking down the road.

"Wait Maka I'm coming to." Soul said dashing after her.

He noticed Kid had already grabbed one of Maka's hand so he took the other.

Soul noticed Maka's hand was warm, it was nearly covered by the oversized jacket she wearing. The sleeves were too long and wadded up quite a bit. He was surprised Kid was able to stand looking at it and figured it must be some kind of way he was trying to show his claim on Maka. Soul looked away feeling embarrassed, he couldn't believe he was holding Maka's hand like some sort of preschooler. He looked at Kid and he seemed completely comfortable with the idea of walking down the street holding Maka's other hand.

Black Star was right, living with two women must have made him think like chic or something. Then Soul got a scary realization, if he lives with a house full of women certainly they were coaching him how to be this slick. Kid probably knew a ton of moves, that Soul didn't even dream of. Those stupid sisters had probably even trained him on every faux pas of the female psyche. Souls mind came up with a conclusion. He's a natural player than, no wonder Maka is falling all over him.

Soul watched as Kid's eyes caught something in a store window and he drops Maka's hand, he walks over to the window and smashes his face against it. Soul gave that natural Player Idea a second thought but noticed Kid was coming off completely un-cool, he was talking to himself and acting like a two year old who saw a new toy he wanted.

"No way I didn't know that was out yet? " Kid said blocking the window.

Maka walked over and peeked in the window,

"Oh the new Harry Dresden book you like Jim Butcher?" Maka said recognizing the title.

Soul watched as Kid's eyes got as big a saucers, and his cheeks blushed over in a response that Soul had seen. Tsubaki had made that face just this morning.

"I know were suppose to be getting groceries, but will you excuse me for a second." Kid asked not hiding his delight.

Soul snorted, "so much for being a player, the guy has no game at all. Look at him getting all hot and nerdy over some dumb book." He noticed Maka had released his hand. His eyes outlined the spot she formerly occupied and found her missing. He watched as a blond pig tail went into the book store.

"OH SHIT," Soul cursed, and realized that Maka shopping in a bookstore was damn near his vision of absolute hell.

"They ought to have a leashes or at least a id card for rabid bibliophiles." Soul snorted pushing his way into the entrance. That way the rest of the normal populations could just avoid them.

Soul watched as Maka was already flipping through her tenth book. She had a stack of books in her hand that was now towering over her head.

"We don't have money to pay for all those Maka pick one!" Soul yelled as Maka began making her way to another book.

Maka seemed to ignore him and he noticed Kid was standing still just reading the back of the book he had seen in the window.

"I hope your proud of yourself." Soul said pointing to Maka who was beginning to look like she was infected with the madness caused by black blood.

"Never bring a bibliophile into a bookstore were going to be here all night!" Soul growled.

Kid looked up from his book over to Maka finally. He saw she was carrying a stack that towered over her head.

"Books over Flowers." Kid spoke in Japanese so Soul couldn't understand.

Maka stopped hearing the familiar Japanese words and looked over at Kid. Who was now leaning over her stack of books.

Soul came stomping up to Maka annoyed. "Why do you always have to wig out and go crazy every time you come in here. Completely un-cool Maka."

"Sorry." She said over the stack of books.

"Lets see what you got here. " Kid said flipping through the covers of the hoard Maka had collected.

"Kim Harrisons, _Every which way but dead_ hmm haven't read that one, _Dead in the Family_ that's Charlene Harris, she's pretty good, let's see two more from the Mercedes Thompson series. _Going Postal _from Terry Pratchett, I have this whole series, you can borrow them. Terry Pratchett is good friends with my father. Looks like you picked up the new Dreysden book too and _Incubus Dreams_." Kid said lifting a eyebrow knowingly at Maka.

A large smile played on Death the Kid's face,

"Oh Maka I didn't realize you were into this kind of book" Kid said darkly as if he just found a dirty little secret, his voice had a slight lust filled tone and he grinned at Maka seductively.

"What the big deal about that one." Soul questioned seeing Maka was turning beet red.

"Should I tell him." Kid teased and Maka looked mortified. Kid wagged his finger at Maka.

"Obviously you've read it too or you wouldn't be acting that way." Maka lectured annoyed.

"Of course I read it, I have the whole series." Kid's smile and laughter twisted into a smirk.

"I don't get what the big deal is about some stupid book." Soul said looking at the cover. It just some woman with a night gown and a blind fold on.

Kid's face was growing red now too. He was laughing.

"Ok you caught me I'm busted you satisfied." Maka put the book back.

"Your welcome to borrow my copy." Kid sang happily.

"I don't want to borrow a Anita Blake book from a guy gross." Maka said her cheeks felt like they were permanently red.

"Kid tossed the book back on the stack and hauled them over to the registrar." Go ahead and ring these up please, minus the two Terry Pratchett books.

"I'm sure you ok with sharing those right?" Kid questioned Maka.

"Yes. I mean No! Kid-kun what are you doing, I got carried away you can't buy all these."

"I want to read the Charlene Harris book and a few more of these." Kid said looking at the books again.

"Books over flowers." Kid repeated again this time in English so Soul knew what he was doing.

"Jesus don't tell me your a bibliophile too. " Just how many of you nerds are running around in this world. Souls words came out a little to sarcastic. He didn't understand what kid meant by saying books over flowers meant, but it appeared Maka understood and she was not fine with what he was doing.

"There" Kid smiled handing two large heavy bags to Maka.

" I'm warning you ahead a time you're not going to like Micah that much, after reading the next novel." Kid spouted out a few spoilers.

"Huh what happens to Mikah." Maka asked taking two extra steps to catch up to Kid.

Kid looked down at Maka with s a quiet smile on his lips.

"I guess you'll just have to wait to find out. Since borrowing a boys Anita Blake book is gross." Kid said wistfully.

Maka clocked him with her bag than.

For some reason watching Maka play with Death the Kid like this made Soul feel hopeless. Maka usually only beat him up on a regular bases. And death the kid seemed just a masochistic enough bastard to enjoy the abuse he was getting from Maka. Maka swung her bag again and Kid nimbly dodged it.

"Maybe I should have just bought you flowers at least they don't hurt, Kid said skipping away from another swing from Maka."

"It's not like that can actually hurt you, Maka complained." Trying to catch up to Kid.

Kid stopped and realized Maka, understood that he wasn't quite human. She was basically admitting that she knew about his otherworldliness, and was fine with it. After seeing her choice in books it didn't quite surprise him. Vampire novels, werewolves, books about reapers, and Indian skin-walkers, all other world creatures romanticized and made desirable by the urban fantasy genre. That blanketed the fiction section these day.

He wanted to ask how Maka felt about his otherworldliness but decided he wouldn't ask in front of Soul. Soul was getting the picture that he was a third wheel and he shouldn't have come along on the couples date. That's also why he had purchased Maka all the books. In Kid's mind this was a date, he didn't know if Maka saw it as anything more as a study session but Kid was content to gather as much attention from her as she was willing to give. Maybe he would suggest the two of them recreate a few of those Anita Blake scenes when they were alone. Kid's hormones went wild at that thought, and he knew he must be blushing. He was glad Maka didn't have Patty sixth sense, or he would have been pounded to death for that thought.

"I need to pick up some groceries before we go over to your house." Maka motioned to the death mart as the teens past it. It was a small grocery store that only carried the bare necessities and Maka knew it would be quick to shop.

Kid made the motion to follow her in but Maka stopped him with her hand.

"You don't want to go in there." Maka said handing her books to him with a smile.

"But you're going in there" Kid complained, as he watched Soul step past he and Maka to enter the store.

"This store is laid out in a way that I think will make you ill." Maka said stroking Kids hair from his eyes.

"Oh" Kid said knowingly seeing Soul was waiting for Maka with a smug look on his face.

"Just stay out here and wait, I'll only be a few minutes." Maka reaffirmed.

Her hand stroked down Kid's shoulder and squeezed his hand gently and she stepped into the store. The automatic door closing behind her. Kid looked at the Victorian style building with odd interest it didn't look bad from the outside, the windows were properly aligned there were two large Victorian style display windows in the front each reading with the word" Death Mart." The windows were even decorated with nice displays of bakery items at different tiers.

Than kid got a small glimpse of what Maka meant. One window held a rack of different shapes of bread and the others had small items like cookies and pastries in it. The stores windows were unbalanced, his eyes began correcting how the store window should look, calculating how some of the pastries and trays could be split up even to allow for bread on both sides of the window. He mentally was re-arranging the window before he began to feel dizzy. Finally he just took a seat and sat down. Obviously the store owner had no sense of taste, and that is what Maka was protecting him from. He felt amused than knowing she had accurately predicted the response he would have had to the store, and had tried to shelter him from it, feeling bored he dug out his book and waited.

Soul followed Maka in the store and grabbed a second shopping basket. He knew they needed groceries at home too and figured he might as well shop with Maka present, so he didn't forget anything.

"Hey I'm just going to knock out groceries for the house to while we're at it. " Soul bellowed to Maka.

Maka was already making her way strait to the butcher's counter, and Soul watched as she ordered what she wanted. He loved this store, though he hated to admit he actually preferred shopping here for food over the big one. Something about this place just felt more friendly to him. Than the large grocery chains.

The small store stood about thirty six feet wide and about sixty-four foot deep the old wood on the floors creaked every time you stepped on it, and the place always had the smelled of smoked meats. Soul loved this shop, it was the quickest store to shop because everything was located in a room about the size of a car wash.

The front of the shop windows were decorated with bread , cakes and pastries and the walls had large refrigeration shelving along the left wall and produce can goods and box food shelved along the right. In the back of the store was a deli and a butcher counters where Maka was shopping. And in the center were freezer chests full of frozen pizza ice cream and other convenient to prepare foods. The great thing about the store is the way the freezer chest split the place in two. It made it so there were only two isles so you could do a quick loop around the store and get everything you needed.

Prince useless would have passed out in here if he got a look at this, Soul chuckled filling up his basket with frozen Pizza and things he guessed Maka might like to cook. It didn't take long for the two of them had two bags full of groceries a piece, Maka had a third bag of extras tied along her arm another bag she was shoving into her backpack.

"Jeeze Maka your spending the night and cooking one meal, You didn't need to buy out the whole store." Soul smarted off.

"Actually I'm cooking two meals, I'm making Patty and Liz fairy eggs for breakfast."

Soul noticed that Maka didn't mention that she was cooking Kid anything special for breakfast, just the girls and a wave of relief washed over him.

"Yeah those two would probably like that girly fu fu food." Soul said with a chuckle.

"Just get all those girly dinners out of your system before you come home." Soul said happily unloading most of his grocery into his backpack.

Soul and Maka strolled outside and kid put his book down into one of the bags.

"So what are you stuffing the fairy eggs with, you doing the deviled egg filling or something different. " Soul questioned.

He knew if he could get Maka talking about cooking that Kid would have no idea what the hell she was talking about. He had four blocks to make Maka seem like a alien to Death the Kid and considering Maka always acted crazed when she talked about cooking this was the best subject.

"Let see I got crab salad, ham salad, chicken salad, and tuna salad." Maka said happily.

"Wow that sounds good, I think fairy eggs stuffed with ham salad would be better than just the normal ones you make." Soul watched as Death the Kid got a weird look on his face.

I knew it Soul thought to himself, let's just give Maka some more rope and Maka will hang herself with it and then they could both go home.

"I know we should call them Kieshan eggs instead of fairy eggs since there stuffed with meat." Soul said rubbing his belly.

"I never thought of it that way before. I just wish I could have gotten some heirloom tomatoes so I could have give them different colored caps." Maka said wistfully.

"You save me some of the Tuna ones ok, I want those for lunch tomorrow." Soul said happily.

Kid was walking behind them now carrying the books, he had a confused look on his face and was completely silent.

"Who's the third wheel now jackass." Soul thought to himself.

"Do kieshan eggs taste like fairy eggs?" Maka questioned "I mean do those type of souls taste like meat?"

That's my girl Soul thought to himself, just the weird type of conversation that Maka and he always talked about. I'll make fun of her new cup size tomorrow and get her back into the sports bras, and tell her mug is so ugly that makeup won't cover it, and she'll drop the pretty girly look like a bad habit.

"Nah not really, Kind of more like jello nice and wiggly as they go down."

"So they are fruity?" Maka asked again.

"No more creamy like custard! Or what's that stuff you made on day on Halloween last year." Soul said happily remembering that he liked that desert and hadn't had it in a while.

"Flan." Death the Kid added drolly.

"Yeah flan," Soul said irritated. Wonder how Kid knew what he had been talking about.

"Halloween is coming up can we make those sugar skulls again and right people's names on them and eat em'." Soul said quickly thinking this would probably send Kid packing.

"That's a Mexican tradition isn't it." Kid questioned to Maka.

"Yeah I read about it in magazine. I found the recipe and we made the skulls last year, sort of like a edible craft project." Maka said cheerfuly.

"Technically Dia de los Muertos isn't celebrated to November 1." Kid said happily.

"Patty would probably enjoy making those." Kid explained with a chuckle.

We should all take off and head down to Mexico the first of November and sneak into one of the festivals. The hot chocolate down there is amazing, and the food that time of year. Well sugar skulls are just the start of it.

Soul face drained of color, eating and making sugar skulls didn't bother Death the Kid at all he was talking as if it were a normal thing to do.

"How do you know about all the Dia de los Muertos stuff, you read the same girly cooking magazines as Maka?" Soul asked reluctantly.

"It's a festival for the dead, and I'm a Shinigami. I am familiar with all belief sets and passing rights and religious practices that surround honoring and taking care of the deceased."

"All." Soul snorted skeptically

"All.. I speak about six thousand five hundred languages and know the death rights for over forty organized religions. " Death the Kid bragged. "That is the basic duty of all Shinigami."

That will shut him up Kid thought. And he hadn't lied either, Kid had been schooled in all these things, It was one of the most grueling most monotonous things he had ever learned in his life. In general though Kid didn't understand organized religion, because very few religions taught balance and that was the meaning of Kid's entire existence.

Maka gave him a large grin, he had obviously impressed her, but his vast knowledge of death was nothing to be impressed about he thought to himself. That particular skill set just made too many questions than answers.

Kid smiled at her again, and looked at the amount of groceries she was carrying. "Do you want me to call a driver to come get us home, You look like your overburden with groceries?"

"I got it, me and Soul do this at least once a week." Maka said smiling she sprinted up and took kids bags from him and began moving down the street faster.

"You need to quit that shit." Soul lectured.

"You tell her she can't do something and that pretty much means she will just to spite you." Soul said following after Maka.

He smiled a little as he chased after he, Maka had noticed this was one of their activities that they shared together. That made him feel a little better. Death the Kid might be worldly but he just wasn't as familiar with Maka as Soul was, and Soul realized this was going to be his biggest advantage in their little game.

Soul sprinted down the street to catch up with Maka.

"Hey have fun tonight with Patty and Liz." Soul said to the petite blond.

"Thanks I will!" Maka said enthusiastic.

"Come on Kid hurry up." she motioned down the street.

"Hey, If you get bored call me... I'll come and bring you home." Soul added as he split off to walk the path down to where he and Maka lived.

"What makes you think, I'll get bored." Maka asked confused.

Souls eyes fell on Kid and Maka just rolled her eyes at him.

"You know he's not that bad when you get to know him." Maka proclaimed frustrated.

"I do know him, I just don't plan on knowing him any closer." Soul said irritated.

He was thinking about clubbing Maka over the head, and just dragging her ass home. Some cave man like urge filled his mind. Why don't you just hit Kid and say

"My woman you no touch!" Little Ogre announced to Soul with a mouth full of insane laughter. "That would get the picture across real well, don't you think."

"If you feel uncomfortable or he makes a pass at you..."Soul said scuffing his shoes.

"Jeeze soul your acting like my dad. Nothing is going to happen, calm down and go home before all the cold stuff melts."

Kid had finally caught up and was pulling out Beelzebub. "You ready."

"Yeah" Maka chirped happily jumping onto the back of the board.

"May I have a couple of the bags please." Kid asked before Beelzebub lifted from the ground.

"Maka what the hell are you doing?" Soul asked seeing Maka lift from the ground on the flying skateboard.

"Going home." She yelled excitedly.

"You holding on?" Kid questioned

"God damn it Maka get off of there before you kill yourself." Soul said panicking.

Soul hear a loud crunching noise coming from down there street and watched as a car went over the curb onto the side walk and hit a light post further down the road. He turned back to Maka realizing no one was hurt.

"It's perfectly safe, this is how I got to school this morning." Maka said wrapping her arms around Kid's waist.

"Have a good evening Soul" Kid said and kicked the skateboard into motion.

"Maka your going to get yourself killed." Soul screamed at the sky.

Not with me around. Kid thought happily. That's my domain and the one thing I have complete control of.

Maka gripped the back of Kid's shoulder she was enjoying the new found speed of flying through the air on a magic powered skateboard. It was invigorating she just wished she could do this every day.

"You like flying?" Kid asked steering around a large flock of birds that seemed to have come out of nowhere.

"Yeah but soul hates it. He never wants to practice. He said if I gained another pound I'd break his back." Maka laughed, and held out one of her arms. The wind felt great and it wasn't half as noisy as being on the big Harley.

"That flock of birds just came out of nowhere," Kid explained to Maka a the flock of ravens flew past them cawing and cackling.

He watched as one of the bird dove from the flock and eyed Maka suspiciously. That's even more unusual he thought to himself watching the birds interest in Maka, it was starting at her wide eyed and it kept calling. Usually ravens don't do that unless a person was marked for death.

He began pulling the board into a decent, over his house. Maka seemed happy to be watched by the bird and actually reached out to pet it. The bird followed them and landed on the guillotine in Kid's front yard. It stayed and hopped around angry, cawing over and over again and Kid got a un-easy feeling.

"The Grand Design" Kid said looking at the bird who was still eyeing Maka. Had kid just changed one of Maka's outcomes. He scoffed it up to being paranoid.

"That's it I'm just feeling paranoid because everything seems to be going right for a change." He said back to the bird. Maka hadn't noticed the exchange and was struggling to get the door open with two bags of groceries.

Kid assessed the situation and sprinted up the stairs and opened the door for her.

Maka entered and slipped off her shoes at the door and slid into a pair of guest slippers. She made her way to the kitchen and began putting away the groceries, she unloaded the ones from her backpack first and thrust them into the refrigerator.

Meanwhile Kid laid the two large bags of books on the floor and began helping to put things away.

"So are we studying first or are we cooking?"

"Think we can do both at the same time? I need to know this stuff front ways and back ways so I can help Patty with her essay." Maka explained shoving some small containers of cold salads into the refrigerator.

"I haven't asked you yet what are you planning on making." Kid asked seeing Maka was leaving quite a few ingredients out instead of putting them away.

"A nice square meal." Maka laughed and drew a square with two of her fingers.

"Don't worry you will be able to eat it."

"I'm sure whatever it is will be fine." Kid said happily.

It felt like Maka was trying to cook a meal especially for him so he was a little bit excited even though his OCD was telling him to be apprehensions. Kid was planning on eating whatever Maka made no matter how good or bad it was. Whatever it was he would muscle his way through it. Kid didn't explain that he was nervous about other people preparing his food. Being able to watch what Maka was doing was helping him though, but the blasted OCD still gave him reservations.

His hands fell over Maka's book which was littered with bookmarks.

"Maka can I fix these bookmarks for you?" Kid called over to her.

"Go ahead Kid-kun knock yourself out." Maka said nonchalant.

Maka was plopping some meat into a skillet and began chopping onions and garlic. This was going to be the best dinner she ever made, she decided and took a warrior like stance she rolled up the sleeves to the Spartoi uniform. She began chopping through tomatoes and onion and mushrooms with a skill that mimicked a iron chef.

Maka was passionate about eating therefore she was passionate about cooking. It was the one skill she felt she was naturally good at. She pushed her way through the vegetables and set a sauce onto simmer, and set out on the filling.

Kid had organized Maka's book in record time and was choosing to amuse himself with watching Maka. He looked at the red sauce on the stove and summed up she was making something with a tomato base. He watched her dance across the kitchen moving from one tasks to the next and noticed she was dirtying a lot of dishes. His hand reached out for the apron behind him and the new one he had hanging in the broom close. He tied his normal cleaning apron around him and snuck behind Maka with the new one.

"Hey you don't have your apron on, you might get sauce on your clothes," Kid commented.

"That can't be helped" Maka said eyeing her blouse to make sure she hadn't done so already.

Kid reach out and flipped the lacy apron over Maka's head, it was trimmed in ruffles, like the one seen in maid cafe manga, it might have been a little bit of a risky gift to buy but somehow he doubted Maka would say no to it.

Maka looked at the ruffles around the apron and laughed a bit. "I look like a doily."

"I thought it was cute." Kid pouted and tied the apron strands around her into a bow.

His hand lingered about Maka's waist.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Maka questioned seeing Kid was wearing a apron as well.

"I figured I could work on the dishes while you attempt to dirty every pan and bowl in my kitchen." Kid spoke snarky.

"Long as you don't try to cook." Maka added.

Kid noticed the strong tone in Maka's voice, she was in her no nonsense mode, and something about that made his heart skip a beat. He thought back to that time in the laundry room, where she had nearly had attacked him and prayed she would do it again.

"I'll do whatever you like." Kid whispered boldly.

Maka's back stiffened for a second, and she went back to checking her sauce. Kid looked at the counter and noticed it was covered with salad ingredients, and bowl of some thick filling that resembled cottage cheese. He watch as Maka skinned a eggplant and proceeded to slice it long ways. She was frying it with some sort of breading on it.

Eggplant parmesans? Kid questioned.

Eggplant lasagna Maka corrected. Showing the fresh lasagna noodles it's a cross between the two, eggplant gives a more meatier filling and then I smother it all with meat sauce.

"The girls are going to love that. I figured you'd do something Japanese like Teriyaki or Yakisoba or Odango." Kid questioned.

"Would you rather I have done something like that." Maka asked nervously pulling at the bottom of her apron."

Maka was worried now, she had made this dish specifically because she knew it cut into nice neat little squares, and she thought Kid would like that. She hadn't even considered that Kid might not even like Italian food. What had he told Liz that her food was too heavy. Her mind slipped into panic mode. Soul love lasagna he called it guy food and Black Star always found a excuse to drop in on Italian night. Hell Tsubaki even said her lasagna was good, had they all just lied? Maka was nervous, and kid was watching her anxiously with those gold eyes of his. He was following her every move like a hawk.

"Should I make something else?" Maka said wadding up the ruffle on her apron.

Kid moved closer to her, something was wrong, he was looking displeased. Maka felt his hands reach out for her and something graze over her neck , it was teeth.

"Maka your doing it again" kid groaned uncomfortable leaving a small nip on her neck.

He felt his body gathering heat, she was shaking again and his Shinigami blooded roared to life. Fear, fear was food, fear was lust, fear made everything taste good. He was barely controlling himself now. What would happen if he lost control of those precious feeling he always tried to keep in check. What would he do, he asked himself. Kid had no answers, Maka was his first girlfriend, the first person that made him feel out of control with desire. He wanted to smell her he wanted to taste her skin and hold her against him like last night. He wanted her not to escape, he thought sourly and began reigning back in his emotions. He stopped himself seconds away from Maka's lips and noticed Maka had a hand firm grip on his neck and another on his forearm, he recognized it was some sort of body lock, something you would do when trying to restrain an opponent or pull them into a throw.

"Kid-kun" Maka said clamping onto death the kid's forearm. She had gotten his attention by grabbing him by the back of the neck.

She had done so to keep him from kissing her, she was trying to concentrate on cooking but he was too much of distraction. He had also slipped into that hungry ravenous boy mode that seemed to come out when they were alone.

Her mind went over the ingredients again as she tried to think of something she could cook that wouldn't be so heavy.

"You didn't answer me Kid-kun. Should I make you something other than lasagna, is it too heavy for you."

Kid felt Maka grip on him tighter she had one of his arms now to and they looked as if they were about ready to waltz.

"I'm sorry" Kid blushed his voice sounded young and filled with panic.

"I just kind of lost myself there for a second" Kid explained frightened.

He realized he had made Maka uncomfortable and that feeling the Shinigami gave him left him just as quickly as it had came. Maka wasn't shaking anymore she was holding him strongly and that had cowed the Shinigami blood down.

"I'm not even sure what you asked of me." Kid confessed quietly.

"I asked if you wanted me to cook you something lighter." Maka said her hands didn't move from his body.

"Lasagna is fine," kid blurted out, he was embarrassed and worrying what Maka was thinking about him.

Maka released kid and set to work on stacking her lasagna, she had easily dodged the kiss he had tried to give her and watched as he rolled up his sleeves and immersed his hands in dishwater. This was good cooking gave her time to think.

Maka watched as kids face filled with rejection, he was upset and thinking deeply, she didn't understand why she had stopped him from kissing her on her neck and lips but something told her to do so. It's not like Kid was a vampire or anything like one of her smutty romance novels. Even though death the Kid's natural mystique made him otherworldly and mysterious. Something that all the lead men her books possessed. And Kid wasn't doing much to quash the fantasy either, she thought again to the billowy shirt he had worn when they had visited Shinigami-sama and the closet of clothes she had seen last night.

All dark and vampiric looking. Just like a modern day Dracula she mused. Even if Kid didn't realize it himself, those clothing definitely fit in the urban fantasy genre perfectly.

But I'm not one of the bad ass lead girls from those stories, she thought solemnly. I'm just sweet insecure stupid little Maka Albram, who doesn't even know what to do when a boy comes onto her. Maka mentally berated herself. God why didn't I just let him kiss me again, It's not like the kisses they had shared had been bad. Most of them were as steamy as Maka could handle without passing out. Hell she had nearly past out on that first one.

Maka wished she had some older woman to talk to, and went down the list of women she knew, her mother was out of the question, her mother was still missing. The death scythes that had been called in to confront Ebion were back in their own territories. Though she conceded they wouldn't have been good choices anyway do to their close working relationship with her father. Maybe the school nurse, no that wouldn't work she might say something to Maka's father as well if she started asking weird questions. Maka realized than she had no one. She didn't want to ask Liz because she called herself Kid's older sister and she was afraid to talk to Tsubaki because she didn't want to look dirty minded or slutty to her best friend.

Maka slid a layer of sauce over her eggplant and then topped it with noodles. She began stacking the familiar dish with a precise layers. She was praying in her mind this would turn out perfect. That maybe with one bite, kid would understand all the feelings she had, but she doubted it would work. She spread a nice even layer of cheese filling down and grabbed and a little bit of salt basil. Please let it turn out she thought again.

She eyed Kid's stiff figure again as she bent down and placed the lasagna in the oven. He was rigidly washing the dishes, and scrubbing them more than was necessary. Maybe she could initiate something to let him know she had reconsidered the kissing thing. That it was ok. She padded up behind kid and let her hands slip around his waist up to his chest.

God this is embarrassing she thought and pressed her face into his back that way he couldn't turn around on her and see her flushed skin.

"I didn't mean to upset you." Maka tried to explain, pushing her body into his back and hugging him.

Kid became more rigid his face flushed and Maka noticed his ears were red.

"I don't mean to act so stupid all the time. It's just when you get nervous, something weird happens to me." Kid tried to explained and failed to find the words he wanted.

"I don't mean to make excuses, but I really like you Maka Albram." Kid added quickly.

Maka buried her face in deeper; his skin was cool under his shirt, she could feel the way the material moved around him, like it was pushing over something slick.

"I guess we should study." Maka said feel her attempt at flattery was somehow too little too late.

"We don't have to start right now." Kid said lifting Maka's hand to his cheek.

She watched as he brushed his face into the palm of her hand, as if he were some type of large cat. Kid twisted around showing a happy almost angelic expression. His smile was radiant and boyish and he began pulling Maka into the hall from the kitchen.

Maka was pulled into a library with two large almond color feinting couch and single desk that bisected the octagon shaped room. Kid slid the pocket doors shut behind him and began looking through the books around him.

"Oh crap I forgot the books" Kid said leaving the room and strolling back to the kitchen.

Maka took a look around the strange shaped room there were exactly eight walls and all were covered with bookcases including the wall with the door, which had some sort of custom book case that framed in the door. There were pedestools that held books, racks that looked like they held scrolls even racks that were made for sheet music. Maka touched a leather spine of the book nearest to her, it was written in a strange language she couldn't read but it looked something like Aramaic, the next book had a spine with mandarin Chinese on it. The one after, appeared to be written in a heavy script that looked like gothic German. She wished she could read the titles to figure out how they were organized but found no clue other than they were grouped by size. Smaller books like the pulp paper backs Maka read were on the top of the shelves near the ceiling, they looked more warn and bore the signs of frequent reading. The next shelf down held soft covered books still paperback but larger than the pulp ficiton, most of those name she could read, they looked more like college textbooks. Things on religion and philosophy and world cultures.

Kid came back in noticing Maka was thumbing over one of the Taoism religious text he held in his study.

"You don't read Mandarin do you?" Kid said sitting down the two bags full of books.

"No." Maka proclaimed surprised, I thought some of the characters resembled Kanji and I thought I'd try to see if I could.

"I doubt you would be interested in those books anyway, there all biblical text from different religions around the world." Kid said depositing the books on the desk.

He reached into the bag and pulled out the new Harry Dresden book and flopped down on one of the fainting couches. He watched Maka look around at all the biblical text curiously.

"It must be nice to be able to read so many languages." Maka said wistfully, to be versed in so many cultures.

"Well its good for some things." Kid said modestly.

"How did you have time to learn all this, I mean did you go to school or.."

Kid held up his hand to stop Maka. "I learned it living in the netherworld with my dad."

"Remember when I told you that time passes different there, my dad wanted me to learn it so I had all the time I needed to learn them all. Of course there are some things I'm not versed in."

"Like," Maka prodded.

"Like Pastafarianism, I have yet to discover if they have any specific death rites, and haven't been interest enough to find out."

"Pastafarianism?" Maka said laughing.

Kid looked at her seriously "Yep it's the religion of the church of the flying spaghetti monster."

Maka began laughing profusely and grab a book and sat down at Kid's feat. "Your pulling my leg."

"Actually I'm not" kid said lazily

"Some physic graduate came up with it in Oregon in 2005 it's basically a satiric religion based on anit-creationism movement but some people do claim it as a religion. You'd be surprised what some people believe in when it comes to religion."

"What religion are you?" Maka asked opening her book

She decided she'd start with the Jim Butcher novel too, that way she could talk about it with Kid.

Kid reached over and closed her book on her than. He grabbed Maka up and nestled her neatly between his legs so her back was leaning against his chest, he then slipped his own book in her hands and opened it back to the first page.

"Let's read this one together." he explained picking up a strand from Maka's pigtails.

Maka could feel his heartbeat against her back and she blushed a little.

"How do we do that." she said with a gulp.

"You turn the pages and I'll read over your shoulder." Kid explained with a sly smile playing against his lips.

Maka raised her knee's up and laid the book against them. She started reading the first page and then quickly flipped to the next. She notices Kid chin was resting on her shoulder and his arms had encircled her waist but he was reading along with her.

"I'm surprised you like Harry Dresden, I figured you would call him uncouth considering the way he lives." Maka said turning into the next chapter.

"He's everything I'm not, to me he's a regular superman. You never see Harry Dreysden break down with a OCD attack in a dirty alleyway." Kid explained smiling, he was watching the way Maka's hair cascaded between his fingers and liked the way it slid around his palm.

"I guess in a way he's sort of my hero. Gritty detective living in a dirty town like Chicago and surviving on just a few bucks from here and there. Sounds like the perfect life if I could just live it." Kid said happily

"I can't imagine you that way Kid-kun." Maka admitted reluctantly.

"I can't imagine myself doing it either, but I wish I could. That's the best thing about books though, being able to read about people who are stronger than you that can live better than you under crazy circumstances." Kid said wistfully.

Maka noticed he was cuddling her now , no longer reading the book.

"We need to check on the lasagna and start homework." Kid said reluctantly, he began rubbing his face against Maka's hair and inhaling the sweet smell of her shampoo.

"You don't look like your getting up." Maka announced feeling Kid entangle his fingers with hers.

"I don't want to, I'd rather just hold you and sit here and read forever." Kid said lazily.

Reading had made him tired, and he was too content to just snuggle against Maka and forget about doing the homework. He knew Maka wouldn't let him though so he figured he'd just enjoy it to the very last moment.

"I hope you like my lasagna Kid-kun." Maka said getting up off the couch and stretching.

Kid stood up and did the same and found his legs were a little unstable, he fell forward a few steps and moved drunkenly to wrap his body around Maka for support.

"Want to bring the text books in here and study?" Kid asked hopeful.

"No I need to make sure it doesn't burn and I need to get the salad together too." Maka said tugging on kid's hand.

Kid slunk into a chair at the kitchen table and began pulling out his notes. He had outlined the whole section on Lazarus already, and began reading them out loud to Maka as she worked on the toss salad.

"The Nazi party discovered Lazarus under the Xanten cathedral also known as St. Victor's Cathedral in Xanten Germany."Kid read with a note of boredom his voice.

"They found lazarus under a catholic church?"

"Its normal a lot of the old catholic churches were built on lay lines, and Lazarus pools are always buried in caves beneath a lay line." Kid explained he grabbed a carrot stick Maka had laid out to chop for a salad and began chewing on it.

"The cathedral corner stone was laid 1263 and the construction lasted two hundred and eighty one years." Kid added. "Oh by the way if Stien asks Xanten is in the Lower Rhine."

"Was it just me or was he picking on me today." Maka questioned pulling the hot pan of Lasagna from the oven.

"You didn't know a answer for the first time ever, I think he was going to give you a second question to redeem yourself but I cut him off before he could ask it." Kid answered happily.

"I hope the girls didn't buy me pink leather pants." Kid said flipping through his notes. "

He could think of so many things he would rather be doing instead of studying right now.

"Anything else about zombie raising in Germany?"

"Yeah that the Nazi discovered neurotoxins that did it without Lazarus, but the effects were not as good. Eventually they did the same as the Egyptians, but they were able to refine the Lazarus so it could animated the corpses without using the embalming method." Kid said flipping over more notes.

"Weird I thought I thought Stien would have talked about Zombie raising in Haiti instead of Germany. There have been tons more cases of Zombie raising there."

"Think Haiti is going to be on the test?" Maka asked untying her apron.

"Aww leave the apron on you look cute in it." Kid complained.

"Hello focus Kid Haitian zombies on the test or not?" Maka said waving her hand in front of kids face.

"If you leave the apron on I'll tell you." Kid said impishly.

Maka smirked and re-tied the apron. "Spill it."

"No Haitian zombies use blowfish extract and plant based extract so no Lazarus, or goat sacrificing, or any other wild world of weird answers. So most likely Haitian zombie raising won't be on the test."

"Were home, I hope your both dressed." Elizabeth cried coming through the door with tons of bags in hand.

Maka watched as the two sisters came in the kitchen overloaded with bags and dumped them on the floor. Kid began looking in horror at the motley of bags in disarray.

Patty grabbed Maka soon as she came through the door and wrapped her in a hug. "Maka you look like a doily."

"I knew it." Maka said taking off her apron and grabbing the other that was extended from Kid's hand.

"Ooh something smells good." Patty said grabbing a chair, and handing back kids Death Express card.

Kid looked at the bags and began collecting his books from the table. " Am I broke?" he asked nervously his hands were shaking.

"No not to bad?" Liz said happily.

"Your dad called me and told me he was footing the bill since you were expanding your horizons." Liz giggled.

"Can you at least straiten the bags?" Kid said twitching nervously.

Maka quickly took a seat in Kid's lap than catching Kid by surprise. He looked up at Maka who had wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into her. His hands wrapping around her waist to support her and keep her from falling.

"Ok I get it I'm calm." He said happily looking at Maka.

Liz blinked her eyes a few times and saw Maka was sitting in Kid's lap and Kid had completely stopped complaining. He wasn't shaking or worried or anything he just looked up at Maka with big eyes and a radiant smile.

"That's it were moving you in here." Liz said amazed.

Kid looked up confused from Maka but he seemed to be genuinely happy holding on to Maka's waist as she sat in his lap.

"I think we should duck tape them together." Patty added.

"Yeah she's like a anti-ocd drug." Liz said amused.

"Better than clomipramine, fluoxetine, sertraline, and paroxetine " Kid dead panned but no one got the joke.

"What are those?" Maka questioned.

"Medicines I've had to take in the past, but none of them have worked that well. I was trying to make a joke." Kid said snuggling into Maka's side.

"Its that bad, you have to take medicine for it?" Maka asked again worried.

"Its that bad." Patty quickly answered.

"But Kid-kun does his best." Liz answered.

Maka looked down at Kid and noticed he didn't argue with what the girl said he just seemed happy to have her sitting in his lap, he bounced her a little so she would look him in the face.

"I'm ok when I'm with you, you don't have to worry." Kid reassured.

He ran his fingers through her pigtails and enjoyed watching the curls separate on the bottom. Kid thought I could die right now and be a happy man, this was about the best he had felt ever and it was great feeling like this.

"Is dinner ready? I didn't eat much for lunch so I'm pretty hungry." Kid asked seeing Maka was beginning to squirm a bit.

"I want to see what they bought first." Maka suggested.

The girls began diving through bags and Kid just looked through them and nodded. There were five pieces he decided that had to go back and he was surprised but Maka had agreed with him.

One was a fish net looking black shirt that had some sort of black leather material in weird locations, the other was a basket ball jersey which he could see Black Star wearing but not him. The other three remaining pieces were a types of jean that had wholes ripped into them . Those were completely out of question, and he wondered why the girls had even considered for a second he would ware something blatantly ugly.

"I think you guys did really well." Maka said admiring a black button down shirt that had two silver dragon embroidered into the front.

"Good now you can see what we bought you!" Patty said happily.

Patty began holding up ten new bras about every color of the rainbow. And let them spill onto the table.

Kid dropped Maka out of his lap by accident and fell to the floor on his hands and knees. His nose began bleeding profusely and he nearly blacked out.

"Had to push it didn't ya Patty." Liz said looking down at Kid.

"You going to pass out or do I need to get a trash can so you can throw up." Liz said kicking Kid's shoe.

Maka was blushing all over, as Patty began showing her the bra's. Yes some of them were cute but some of them were sets, very mature looking sets with lace and ruffled panty's that were in French cuts and other fashionable styles.

"I don't even own anything like these. Maka said looking at a champagne shade of bra that was trimmed in black lace." Maka stammered.

"Yes I know?" Liz smiled.

"I figured you couldn't exactly go shopping for stuff like this with your Dad and now that you're a young lady you might enjoy owning some pretty things." Liz said looking over the purchases.

"Can we please remove the unmentionables from the dining table, before I have a panic attack." Kid said irritably.

"You were doing so well before too Kiddo." Patty said patting him on the back.

"Thank you Patricia but I'd like it very much of you didn't show me that kind of shopping in the future." Kid said squeezing his eyes tight.

Maka cleaned up the shopping and told the girls to take it upstairs. Liz whined a bit about not being able show her all the Pretty things she bought but Maka told her she would look at them later. As the girls went upstairs she noticed Kid had not moved from his spot on the floor. He was still cowed down like a dog with several bloody napkins beneath him. She rested her cold hand on the back of Kid's neck and he jumped a little as she touched him.

"It ok its all gone now." She soothed.

Kid tried to raise himself off the ground but nearly fell over dizzy. He had felt sick before but do to the lack of food on his stomach he found that he couldn't vomit. Maka wrapped her arm around him to steady him and helped him sit down in a chair.

"Do you want to skip dinner? I don't want to feed you if your stomach is upset." Maka said lightly.

She placed a glass of water down before Kid and he drank it greedily. No I'm ok now he said shaking his head. His face was red, and it looked like his blood pressure was up.

"If your ok I'm going to set the table than." Maka said removing her hand from his neck.

"You don't have to pamper me every time I have a flair up." Kid said exhausted.

"I know I don't." Maka added sweetly.

"I know you can't help it. I also realize it's a lot more serious than you just getting nervous and worrying a lot." Maka replied calmly.

"I love you." Kid blurted out quickly.

"I don't understand how you can be so calm all the time and so forgiving, but I love you for it." Kid repeated.

Maka seemed a little bit taken a back for a second. Her heart leapt and began pounding fast. She knew Kid liked her but he was confessing he loved her. Her heart pounded faster and faster till she felt dizzy. Kid watched Maka and she began plummeting to the floor her knees crossed together and she landed on her rump. Her face was red really red.

"I don't expect you to say anything back." Kid explained worried, he looked at her knees for bruises but found none.

"No I'm sorry I just got really light head, probably a combination of staying up to late not eating and..." Sudden shock Maka thought to herself.

She felt like she had been eternally blushing lately. Was this what it was like to date a guy, she covered her cheeks with her hands and felt the prickling of cold against her warm face.

No she had been embarrassed before, mortified by Soul on several occasions, like the time he lifted up her skirt and showed everyone her underwear. She had considered wearing boxers after that but decided it was probably a onetime event.

Why was this so different she thought to herself. Some where a voice in her mind answered her back, it's because he's cute, polite, charming, sensitive and he's overly honest with how he feels. What's not to like. Maka realized that kid flattered her ego in some way, she didn't understand why he looked at her the way that he did. Especially when he considered girls like Patty and Liz just as sister material. Liz was a knock out and how could anyone compete with that.

Kid was hovering over her worried and Maka let him scoop her up into his arms. She nuzzled her face against his the same as she had seen him do to her early and noticed his skin cool all over, it didn't feel like normal skin, it felt more like silk, durable and stronger, but still extremely soft and slick.

"I think your right we need to eat something." Kid voice sounded breathy.

"Do you normally get lightheaded when you don't eat." Kid questioned seeing Maka made no attempt to move.

"Yes, I try to eat little meals all day." Maka admitted, what had Soul called it oh yeah grazing like a cow.

Maka reached out for Kid's neck so she could get out of his arms just as Patty and Liz walked back in.

"Hope were not interrupting anything." Liz wagged her tongue amused.

"No Maka fell down." Kid explained worried.

"Liz can you get the salad and the lasagna I think Maka sugar is low." Kid softly ordered.

Patty eyed him bewildered and Kid noticed she wasn't smiling anymore she was looking at Maka.

"I'll get you a chair." Patty said pushing a chair next to Kid's so he could sit Maka on it.

"Boy aren't we a mess. First you fall over with a nose bleed and I almost pass out from not eating." Maka laughed, poking fun of her own dilemma.

"How long does it take after you eat till you start feeling better?" Patty questioned there was a hint of worry in her voice.

"Not long maybe about a half a hour or so." Maka said nonchalant it depends on how much sugar the food I eat has.

Patty pulled out a candy bar from her pocket and tried to force feed it to Maka rapper and all.

"Eat" Patty demanded.

"Its not that type of sugar Patty" Kid barked. "That can make her more sick."

"Actually no it can't it just doesn't last as long. After I eat sugar like that it will spikes it up real high for a while." Maka added

"And then it will come crashing down again." Kid said un-amused.

"Not if you eat things with carbohydrates in it, like bread and pasta, and stuff. And lucky for me we are having lasagna tonight. So that will put it in a holding pattern." Maka explained to Kid.

Kid looked doubtful but he didn't argue.

"This smells really good Maka." Liz commented laying the lasagna on the table.

"Patty can you get me a large sharp knife?" Maka asked as Liz scooped salad in the bowels.

Patty went over to the butcher-block that held the knives and held up a chef's knife to Maka.

"This big enough?" Patty sang.

"Yeah that's good." Maka said looking at the knife Patty was holding.

Patty than threw the knife as hard as she could at the table it embedded dead in the center next to the salad bowl.

"Patty what are you doing" Liz screamed "Don't throw knives that's dangerous."

Kid on the other hand was looking at the knife and what it had pierced though. His eyes watched as the plasma shaped object that had floated around the salad split itself away from the knife, it left a purple vapor trail as it left the table and passed through the kitchen window into the night.

He noticed Maka and Liz were still yelling at Patty but Patty just stared at him.

"Why did you throw that knife!" Liz said shaking her sister.

"I saw a Oni." Patty said happily.

"What the hell is a Oni?" Liz said looking to Kid for a answer.

"It's a Japanese word for a evil spirit or demon that causes misfortune and calamity." Maka answered.

Maka didn't see the so called Oni but she felt it leave the room. Her skin prickled with fear, she thought Oni were just fairy tales she expected them to look more like big trolls or a ogres but instead Patty had seen something that even her demon aura didn't detect.

"Tell sis I'm not lying Kid. You saw the Oni, staring at Maka too." Patty said defending herself.

"I want to know where your picking up all this Japanese from." Liz said angry

"I've never heard of a Oni before where did you learn it from." Liz said sarcastically, she still hadn't stop shaking patty senseless.

"She saw a Oni Liz let her go." Kid said strumming his fingers against one another.

"First the raven and now a Oni" He whispered to himself.

He was going to have to watch Maka more carefully, he felt the grand design at work and he didn't want to alert the girls of the situation. Certainly if he could skip past death's grand design easily he could lead someone else through it. He looked at Maka and noticed she must have sensed something her flesh was covered in Goosebumps.

"Patty how did you know the Oni was here?" Maka questioned softly as if she was talking to a small child.

"Because it looked like the Oni from one of Kid's books." Patty answered back happily

"Was it a book in the study?" Maka questioned again.

"Yeah its the really old one with all the pictures in it still." Patty said chewing in her salad.

Its on the pedestal in there.

Maka removed the knife from the center of the table and began slicing the lasagna into squares. She was curious about this mysterious book Patty was talking about and almost left the kitchen to go look at it but she assumed Kid would have a fit, considering she had nearly passed out from low blood sugar.

Old and mysterious books were Maka's thing. She loved them and didn't care what she had to do to get a peak at one. Hell she proved that by nearly costing her father his job. Though she did feel a bit guilty about that little incident.

Maka began serving the Lasagna and her stomach let out a huge growl. She covered it with her hand and began to dig into dinner. She noticed for once Kid wasn't picking at his food either. He had cut his lasagna into bite size little squares and they all sat evenly spaced around his plate, she watched as he systematically ate each square till the plate was empty and then reached out for another slice.

Maka had to look away finally. Watching kid eat was nerve racking to her. She couldn't tell if he liked it or if this was his normal way of eating. She hoped there would be some magic in her cooking that could convey those special feelings she had for him, but considering the weird way he was eating she doubted that.

"Wow this is good." Patty said patting her stomach happily she had already inhaled three slices and went back for salad twice.

"Do you cook like this for Soul?" Liz questioned.

"Yes I do most of the cooking." Maka said confused at the question.

"No wonder he's acting the way he is, he's probably terrified of losing his meal ticket." Liz said grinning at Maka.

"We need to start eating at Maka's place Kiddo" Patty said happily.

"Yes she cooks a lot better than me." Kid said in between bites.

Maka looked up hopeful Kid thought she cooked better than his, that was a compliment of sorts. Maka watched as Kid reached for a third slice of Lasagna, and began cutting it up in the same odd fashion.

"I think that's the most I've ever seen you put away Kiddo." Liz said happily

"Good thing too he could use some meat on his bones." Patty said with a snicker.

Kid stopped with a fork in his mouth and smiled a little

"I think your right I don't ever remember eating this much before at one sitting .The crazy thing is I don't even like Italian food, it always been so heavy and sloppy. But I like this, I don't know what you put in it Maka but its wonderful." Kid said lazily and popped a few more bites in his mouth.

"I got to write that stupid essay and the only thing I want to do is take a long nap." Liz complained

"Essay." Patty said slapping her palm against her face.

"Kid looked up from his plate with his fork still in his mouth he began digging through his backpack."

"Write this, this, and this," he said pointing to the paper with his fork.

" In this order in your own words, and make sure you type it."

"Make enough study guides?" Liz said eyeing Patty's.

"Yes Maka and me already studied, we just have to pen the essays so you can use mine." Kid said cleaning off his plate.

"I can't believe you're eating lasagna, Aren't you normally terrified of dropping red food on your shirt." Liz said poignantly.

"Don't remind me." Kid said pulling her down by the collar.

Maka began cleaning the plates from the table when Kid stopped her,

"Cooks don't do dishes in this house."

"Yeah they do." Liz hollered back through the kitchen door as she fumbled with a few text books she planned to study.

"Ok let me reword that, I do all the dishes in this house." Kid said annoyed.

"Thats better." Patty said jumping up with her study guide. "Maka will you look it over when I'm done?"

"Sure Patty" Maka said pulling out a notebook from her bag.

"Guess I better get started too." Maka said flipping to a page and began scrawling away.

Kid watched her as he did the dishes. Maka looked thoughtful when she studied. She'd get a idea and you would see it appear on her face and she would start scribbling faster. He never had that kind of passion when he did his own homework, primarily because it was just too easy for him. He knew most all of it already and in more depth than Dr. Stein taught. Though he thought about the last three examinations being zeros and that made him cringe. He was damn near tied with Black Star for dead last, the only person that was more behind him was a guy name Hiro and he had a good idea why he was dead last in class.

Maka sat down her pen and stretched her arms out. Kid had finished drying the dishes and was putting them away and she had a mischievous thought.

"Don't you need to write your essay?" Maka questioned.

"I wrote mine while you were making the salad." Kid said pointing the freshly dried chef's knife at her.

"Well than you want to read some more?"Maka spoke husky.

She watched Kid fumble the knife into the butcher block. That had got him.

"Sure." Kid said happily stacking the rest of the dishes away in a blur.

Maka went back into the library and looked at a large leather bound book.

"This is probably the one patty mentioned." She said out loud flipping the pages and seeing pictures on about every other page.

Some of the pages showed pictures of scary looking monsters, others diagrams and formula's she milled over the cover and found it to be green with a large skull on the front of it and thumbed a few pages. It was written in multiple languages so she was disappointed to know she couldn't read all of it.

"What are you doing?" Kid said observing her from the door way.

"This is the book Patty mentioned that had the Oni in it right?" Maka said trying to find a index to figure out how the book read.

Kid walked over and shut the book on Maka. He looked up to her with a smirk.

"There is nothing good you can learn from that particular book." It surprises me Patty found it interesting, and was able to read a few passages from it.

"Why is it written in so many languages?" Maka questioned.

"To keep humans like you from reading it." Kid said with a smirk.

"That's a Shinigami book and it's not for your eyes." There are things in there that just aren't meant to be known. It will only make you unhappy Maka trust me on this.

Maka looked over the book again, "I don't see how reading a book could cause any problems."

"Then let me explain it this way, Before I read that book I was a normal boy, I didn't have any hang-ups or panic attacks, or weird phobias, the way I look at it, that book is cursed, and I ask if you have any amount of respect for me you won't go prying around in it, Maka I wish to god that I hadn't of had to read that book, something's are better not to be known."

"You know the way your building it up just makes me want to read it more?" Maka said scratching her cheek.

Kid grabbed her by the hand and picked up a few of the fiction novels.

"If you want to know about what's in it, just ask me. Don't go trying to pick at it behind my back. I'll tell you as much as I can."

"Without looking at it how am I suppose to know the right questions to ask?" Maka said questioning Kid's logic.

"You'll know." He said yawning.

He picked the book up by it spine and tossed it into the mirror behind the desk, as if it were refuse. The book fell through the mirror and landed inside the reflection. That will help eliminate the temptation, so there isn't a _paradise lost_ event happening when I'm sleeping.

"You read that one too huh." Maka said with a smirk.

"Did you really want to read with me, or did you just say that so you could come back in here and look for the book." Kid questioned Maka, he was suspicious of her answer but he knew he could tell if she tried to lie to him.

"I was actually thinking of doing something else entirely." Maka said embarrassed.

"I admit the book caught my eye when I came in here. Especially after what Patty said about the Oni."

"What something else did you have in mind." kid said playfully.

He had sensed Maka had been honest with him and he appreciated that. He was now putting her in the hot seat for looking at the Shinigami handbook though. He thought she deserved a little bit of punishment for poking around in the book. That book definitely was not written for humans, and had enough garbage in it to make any normal person go mad, after all look how sane Asura was after he read it.

Maka twisted around the floor nervously. She was looking at her house slipper and wondered if this was a good idea. She felt somehow touched that Kid had complimented her cooking at dinner. And even proceeded to try a food he secretly didn't like. Maka raised her mouth to Kid's lips and saw his eyes grow heavy. He had that innocent look on him again, the one that made him look gentle and sensitive and his lips began kneading into hers. Kid laid the books back on the desk and so he could wrap his arms around Maka. He slipped a hand under her legs and carried her bridal style over to the feinting couch. His hands moving along the bend of her knees and don't to her feat where he touched the hose like socks she was wearing.

"Maka?" Kid questioned coming up from the kiss.

"I don't want to go all the way but..." Maka stammered.

"Then we'll keep are clothes on, or at least most of them" kid finished for her a anticipatory look playing across his lips.

"You don't have to worry I'll respect any boundaries you set up for me. I'm happy just to be touching you." Kid said flicking off Maka's house slipper.

Maka wrapped her arms around Kids neck and pulled him down to her. She felt that strange skin again beneath her fingers and undid his tie from his shirt. She was finding the angle awkward though and sat up so she could play with his buttons. Kid just kept on kissing, his hands were tangling themselves in Maka's hair and his lips began moving from her lips to her neck. Maka giggled as his hand glided down her side and hit one of her tickle spots. Kid looked up at her confused a smile playing over his lips when he realized what he had done.

"Your ticklish" he said running his hand around under her arm to her waist. Maka's back arched and she nearly came off the fainting couch.

"Quit that." She said trying to undo a button to kid's shirt and biting down on her lip hard so she could concentrate.

Kid ran his fingers down his shirt and pulled it lose from his body. He ran his hands around the back of Maka's knees and she nearly kicked him in the chest.

"Your ticklish there too huh?" A devilish grin passed over his face and jabbed his tongue into the side of his jaw.

He was enjoying tormenting Maka this way. The Shinigami blood was having no effect on him because Maka was calm, a little frustrated but calm all the same, and it delighted him she had been working so hard just to remove his shirt. Kid flick the shirt down to the floor, and notice Maka fingers were tracing over his almond color flesh. His fingers leapt down from the back of her thigh to raise up one of her knee's and he laid his body down on top of hers to kiss her again.

Maka noticed Kid had made another movement putting her in a very intimate position. His arms were around her back now and his chest was pressing against her breast. She moved her fingers across his pale back and noticed it wasn't just his face that had the silk like texture, it was all of his skin. It kind of moved oddly under her hands, almost like a second layer of clothes. Kid was nibbling on her ears now pushing his face into her neck and she felt his tongue flick across her collar bone he started nibbling her neck and Maka started laughing again.

"Your just ticklish everywhere" Kid said testing his new found knowledge as Maka began laughing more.

He watched as her body arched when she laughed and felt sorry he couldn't do more than just kiss her. He wanted to do more than kiss but he was respecting Maka's boundaries, and the way her body arched for him sent shivers down his spine and his senses roared to life.

"Hey lets go upstairs." Kid murmured breathy into Maka's ear.

"Kid-kun, I'm not sure if I'm ready too..." Maka said a furious blush on her face.

"I know I was suggesting we do that, I just didn't want Patty and Liz to walk in here on us and embarrass the crap out of me." Kid said nervously.

"Oh!" Maka replied relieved.

"I need to look at Patty's essay soon." Maka explained rising up off the couch.

"Maybe we could continue this later, after Patty and Liz go to bed?" Maka replied shyly.

Kid grabbed on to Maka to pull her into one last kiss before pulling his body back off of her. He sat at her feat, massaging them till she started to flinch.

"Tiklish here too" he smiled.

He ran his finger down the back of her legs and kneaded his hands into her feat. Maka let a uncomfortable moan and than her feet relaxed in Kid's lap.

"You like that." Kid said amused.

Maka's face went slack and her hand dangled down to the floor, her fingers reaching out for Kid's discarded shirt. She lifted it lazily in her hand and laid it on her stomach. As kid continued to press on her soles and pinch near her toes. She was content to lay like this with Kid rubbing his hands around her ankles, it felt good even though certain spots of her feet hurt more when he put pressure on them, it quickly released though and gave her overall feeling of relaxation.

Kid glanced at Maka she looked up at him with lazy satisfied eyes and inhaled his shirt collar before handing it back to him. He looked around for his lost tie but couldn't find it among the floor.

"What did you do with my tie Maka?" Kid said slipping his arm back into his white button down shirt."

"I'm not sure?" Maka said with a giggle looking at the floor where she thought it would have landed.

Her hands slip down the floor and she rolled off the couch, so she could look under it. Kid set his eyes on Maka's rear as she looked under the couch. He stood up and buttoned his shirt up halfway and placed a hand on her rear?

"Is it under there?" He asked taking the time to rub his hand on the butt.

Maka flinched and banged her head on the bottom of the fainting couch feeling the awkward grope Kid had just put on her rear.

"Hey!" she spoke rubbing her hand and freeing her butt from Kid's hand. She was embarrassed and blushing and kid was just staring at her with those golden cat like eyes and a Cheshire looking smile.

"You ought to be looking too!" Maka said sweeping both of kids legs and knocking him to the floor.

That will teach him to not taken advantage of me when my body is in awkward positions she thought to herself slyly.

Kid fell to the floor in a instant, he tumbled back to land on his own rear. A embarrassed look crossing his face. He looked at Maka shyly and rubbed the back of his hair nervously.

"Sorry thought I could get away with that now." he admitted.

Liz came into the office to see Maka and Kid crawling around on the floor looking under furniture. Kid had a radiant look of happiness on his face, as he slid around the floor looking under his desk and Maka checking underneath a bookshelf.

"What are you two doing?" Liz said amused.

Both Kid and Maka sat up strait on their heels and Liz noticed Kid's shirt was in quite disarray. He only had half the buttons buttoned both the ones at his neck and that hung down low on his shirt were unbuttoned his tie was missing, and his face was contorted into something that looked like a shy and embarrassed flower boy.

Liz blinked her eyes a few times to clear the image of her brother. His expression looked like one from a boy love comic she had tucked under her bed upstairs and that disturbed her. I Didn't need to think that, she thought to herself rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. He would definitely be on the receiving end looking like that. Her mind added darkly and tried to chase the thought away from her mind. She looked over at Maka and noticed she too was blushing. Liz tried to imagine Maka as the attacker, and it came all to easily. She laughed to herself quietly amused at her own perverted thoughts.

"So Maka Patty is ready for you to look at her report, she's up stairs in the computer room." Liz spoke coyly and noticed Maka made a quick retreat out the room.

Death the Kid tried to get up too but Liz gave him a quick shove and pushed him on to the fainting couch. She was grinning like a maniac and couldn't wait to question him.

"So are you able to hold your own against her little brother?" Liz said amusing herself and poking Kid's buttons on his shirt.

Kid gaped like a fish for a few seconds and tried to deny it, but his words were all over the place and he was rambling.

"It's ok Kiddo-kun, I imagine Maka is kind of strong for you, I'm surprised she didn't devour you all up." Liz said sitting on the couch and patting Kid's chest.

She noticed Kid's face was boiling but he wasn't noticing his disheveled appearance he was bubbling over with embarrassment and panic, probably trying to think of some way to lash out, but he kept gaping and trying to find words to fill his mouth. He looked like he was drowning.

"If you have any questions about how, or what to do you can't ask Big Sis ok." Liz said patting Kid's leg.

He nearly jumped off the couch this time and he was looking at her like she was some sort of snake.

"I do have a question!" Kid spoke quickly and angry.

"Why do you have to make fun of me over this. She's my first girlfriend." Kid added emotional and confused.

"I'm not making fun of you Kiddo I'm trying to give you advice so you won't embarrass yourself in front of Maka." Liz said happily.

Liz watched as Kid calmed down and started actually think about a few things to ask. He was considering her offer.

"Is this a onetime only kind of deal or can I come to you all the time?" Kid questioned cautiously.

Liz grabbed onto kid and began smothering him in affection "You can come to me all the time Kiddo-kun, I'm happy to answer all your questions. I love having someone to talk to about their love life." She said releasing kid from her embrace.

Kid took a leap back from the couch and clung onto the bookshelves on the wall, he would have climbed the shelves to get away from Liz at this point.

"So are you going to extort some sort of bribe out of me for this information." Kid questioned, he wasn't panicking he was scared.

Liz had just scared him with that chesty smothering attempt she had just pulled and he wondered if all girls did that kind of thing. He thought to Maka and decided, no all girls didn't. Just crazy over loving sister types.

Liz let out a laugh." Your really that afraid of me. This is great. How the hell are you dealing with Maka then."

"I think I handle myself quite well with Maka." Kid answered indignantly.

"You sure you're not stumbling around with a nose bleed all the time, like that idiot Soul does." Liz questioned.

Kid had to think about that, had Maka given him a nose bleed yet? He believed the answer was no but he knew he sure had a vivid image of her in those new lingerie pieces Patty and Liz had purchased. That wasn't Maka's doing though that was just because Patty had covered the table in girly stuff meant for his girl.

"I haven't yet, but what do I do if I get one or feel one coming on?" Kid said testing the waters.

"Well A. Don't spout blood all over her. B Make a excuse to go to the bathroom and splash some cold water on your face. C If she's getting to hot back off a little and then start again." Liz said happily

"That will work?" Kid asked nervously.

"Better than making a ass out yourself, the way I look at it your main competition is Soul. So you need to show you can do everything he can't" Liz said perceptively rubbing her chin.

"Yes he's already told me to back the hell off. That I had no right ruining is resonance with Maka." Kid said making his fingers into quotation marks.

"Good than he's threatened by you." Liz said happily.

"And why is that good." Kid said taking a seat on the second fainting couch that mirrored the one Liz was sitting on.

"The guy obviously is treating Maka like his little house wife, he has her cooking for him doing his laundry and all the house work. You need to take advantage of that, and show Maka that he's using her. But don't come out and say it though."

"OH sort of like how you and Patty have me cooking, cleaning and doing all the housework!" Kid said grumpy.

"It's obvious than you and Maka have plenty to talk about then." Liz said strolling over and patting kid on the head like a dog.

"Do you think Maka realizes he uses her." Kid said sourly resting his arms on his knees.

"I don't think Soul does it intentionally, I think he just hasn't grown up enough to do some of the stuff on his own. I also think Maka mother's him."Liz said stretching out her legs and wrapping her arms around the wood of the couch.

"I wouldn't point it out that Maka is doing anything wrong or that you think he takes advantage of her. That makes you seem like the bad guy, and shows that you're willing to play dirty to get what you want."

"Should I be willing to play dirty and cheat and manipulate the situation?" Kid questioned again looking to Liz.

"Absolutely not your above that. Or at least I think you are. If he starts coming off like a little prick though, I'll tell you when to take the gloves off and start fighting dirty." Liz said hugging onto Kid's shoulder.

"Patty thinks otherwise." Kid said raising a eyebrow to Liz.

"She told me to pull out all the stops and fight for what I wanted." Kid snorted amuse.

It was amazing how different the Thompson sisters were, if one said black the other said white. Though they got a long well it was definitely a opposite subtract relationship.

"Patty is obsessed with Maka." Liz said happily.

"I've been hearing all day, wouldn't it be great if Maka lived here, and became our sister too.

She enamored with her. " Liz said yawning.

"It's Patty's first real friend that wasn't part of our family. I can understand why she is excited." Kid said glancing around the room again for his tie.

"Back to Maka though, how far are you planning on going?" Liz prodded trying to get a rise out of kid.

"I'm letting Maka set all the boundaries." Kid said quietly he was feeling warm in the face but he didn't blush.

"ooh that's good. Patty tell you to do that or did you come up with it on your own." Liz said bouncing up and down on the couch happily.

"I have another question." Kid proclaimed emotionless.

"What if I make a move that Maka is uncomfortable with, how do you recover from something like that other than apologizing like a idiot."

"Well depends on what your trying to do?" Liz said crossing her arms "Give me a example."

"Well today my hand sort of fell on Maka's butt while she was looking under the couch and I tried to pet her she got kind of pissed off though and swept my legs." Kid whispered embarrassed.

"I think Maka is not big on public displays of affection. So if your do something like that she's going to take it as you being perverted, and she will probably beat you black and blue." Liz began.

"On the other hand, she will probably warm up to you more, the more time she spends with you. And later on you probably will be able to get away with that and a lot more." Liz continued.

"So basically no random touching, or groping. Is that what your telling me?" Kid assumed.

"For now." Liz added.

"Were a pretty touch feely family. Its natural you would make a few mistakes here and there." Liz explained.

"OH just one more thing, whatever you do don't go around measuring her boobs to see if there symmetrical or screwing with her hair or her eyebrows because there is something not to your liking. Don't bring it up, don't stare don't comment." Liz lectured.

"I don't have too Maka's boobs are perfectly symmetrical." Kid said with a devious grin.

"OH so I take it you've already checked you little perv'." Liz said pulling Kid down into a Indian burn.

"Hey stop it." Kid grunted trying to smack Liz off of him.

"Just do me a favor and go slow, Go slow and enjoy this, and don't go trying to do things fast because you think you're on a time schedule and need to take over the netherworld from your dad."

Kid face drained of happiness with that comment he laid his head on Liz's chest and she began to stroke his hair.

"What do you think she's going to say, when she finds out, I'm going to be stuck in the netherworld same as my father." Kid whispered sorrowful.

"Well you know what me and Patty say, I think you should stay out and have a normal life. Shinigami has been around thousands of years, and there is no reason why you need to replace him." Liz scolded.

"I have a feeling Maka will say the same.

"Have you two talked about you being immortal yet." Liz queried.

"No but I think she'll be ok with that though, she's big into vampire novels, and the urban fantasy genre and all the book's she reads have romanticized the aspects of immortality." Kid said hugging on to Liz.

"So she understands that you're probably going to be looking the same for quite some time."

"We haven't talked about it, but I'm hopeful she'll overlook it." Kid confessed.

"I like this side of you. You are a lot nicer person when you're in love and not obsessing over things with your OCD. You let me buy you new clothes today, you ate Italian food. Hell Kiddo your making all kinds of progress." Liz praised.

"It's all because of Maka." Kid said wistfully.

"No Kiddo, it's all because of you. Your making these changes yourself you should be feeling proud of yourself right now, not giving all the credit to Maka." Liz proclaimed with a thread of irritation in her voice.

"Maka is my motivation to do so Liz. I'd still be cleaning my house all day and polishing my shoes if she hadn't..." Kid stopped in mid sentence

And his face filled with the memory of their first kiss. Of the way she had held him in that bathroom that night. Of the romantic dinner they shared. His smile turned dreamy as he remembered that quick moment they had shared in the laundry room.

"If she hadn't what?" Liz said raising her eyebrow amused she could see Kid was living in some secret moment and his looks sparkled to her all the sudden. He looked so cute his lips parted and his eyes distant and soft.

"Maka just does little stuff. I can't really explain it just makes my heart pound and I want to hold on to her all the time. Kid said swaying back in forth happy his hands reached up to his cheeks and his grin became wider."

Liz blinked her eyes again, she could have sworn she just saw flowers falling all the sudden. This was getting a little to weird for her so she smacked her fist in the top of Kid's head.

"Earth to Kiddo time to return from la la land." Kid rubbed his head than and returned from his fantasy.

"I know she mothers you all the time, but what is it about her that's got you all worked up?" Liz looked over her shoulder darkly and prayed he didn't say something stupid about symmetry.

"She's Moé '" Kid explained

Liz watched as Kid began rummaging through his books till he reached a section that was primary Japanese manga and Korean manwha he tossed a few titles in Liz lap and Liz examined the covers. She has all the qualities of a gender bender story, strength, courage, violent temper. These are all qualities found in Korean manwha and all the budding qualities of a shoujo heroine, compassion, loveliness, domestic goddess kid said flicking a book in Liz's lap that had a girl in a maid costume on the cover. These are two types of. Moé that usually don't combine together. Usually you either have the kick ass bad girl, or you have the friendly innocent maiden type.

"So you basically you are telling me your a huge comic book nerd and Maka is some kind of idealistic version of a fan boys fantasy?" Liz announced she felt her face turn a slight shade of blue.

"That's so disappointing." Liz said with a grunt.

"No, no, no. You don't get Maka can be rough and tough and courageous but than all the sudden you see this sweet and shy and polite side that makes your heart break, complete polar opposites that are in perfect balance. On top of that she doesn't get freaked out by me, and she seems actually understand me even all my stupid quirks."

"Like yin and yang?" Liz said remembering a conversation where she had stupidly asked kid what  
Taoism was.

"Pretty much." Kid said beginning to hide his stash back away.

"You know Kiddo I just hope your cloud doesn't come crashing down when you find out that she's not perfect. I also think that's going to turn into a lot of pressure that your basically dumping on Maka."Liz said sarcastic.

Liz was kind of pissed at Kid right now, but not sure why. She began raking things over in her brain to figure out what had pissed her off. Was it because of comparing Maka to a comic book character, well that might have been partial it, was a affront to feminist mind set. But she decided the real reason she was mad is because Kid believed Maka was some sort of instant cure for all his problems. He didn't realize that part of the reason he was feeling better was because he was stepping out of his comfort zone and dealing with some of his anxiety issues. Yes Maka may be helping him with that but Kid cut himself to short. Liz didn't like the fact he was becoming so codependent on Maka.

"Why are you pissed off at me?" Kid questioned backing away from the couch.

"I'm just worried about you. I think it's great you have a new relationship and I'm happy your exploring your feelings but I don't want to see you get hurt because your being unrealistic. Have you taken your medicine today?"

Kid face twisted into one of sick anger. "Is that's what you think is wrong. I'm happy and I haven't need it all day." Kid spit out cruelly.

"I know your happy and your feeling good, but you don't need to go off your medicine just because of that." Liz explained worried.

"Who made you my doctor." Kid spat out. "No I don't need to talk about this I'm going upstairs."

Kid began marching out of the room and slammed the pocket door behind him.

"How dare she" he thought to himself

"Didn't she get it he was happy he didn't need those stupid pills. Hell he hadn't felt this happy since before his mother had left."

He walked upstairs and found Maka and Patty giggling away. He felt his anger slipping from him as he watched Maka try to pull Patty's hair up into pig tails and just stood in the door way and watched.

"OI Aniki come here Maka made you something." Patty said noticing him in the doorway.

Maka handed a sheet of mailing labels to him with his name centered on them.

"For your tests, so you don't get another zero." Maka said happily as Patty wrapped around her.

Patty gave him a strange look than. "Aniki are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine" Kid said trying to brush off the last of his anger.

He noticed Patty and Maka were wearing the matching pajamas again. Patty in the pants and wife beater and Maka in pink top.

"You taken your medicine yet?" Patty said wrapping her arms around Kid.

"I'll go get it for you." Patty proclaimed darting from the room before Kid could object.

"What is it tonight with everyone trying to force feed me my medicine." Kid said clunking into a chair disappointed.

"I think it's sweet." Maka said wrapping her arms around Kid's waist.

"Did Patty get her home work done?" Kid questioned out of habit.

"Yep we've been goofing off for the last hour." Maka said folding up the name stickers and putting them in her bag with her books.

Kid pressed his lips to Maka's softly and drew her down into a kiss and slid his tongue into her mouth.

"Something's different, you seem sad now." Maka said pulling away from his mouth.

"Do you think less of me knowing I have to take medicine to control my condition?" Kid said seriously.

"No why would I think that." Maka answered quickly.

"Just checking." Kid said slumping down into the chair.

"Why would you be worried about what I thought anyway?" Maka said stroking his back.

"Because I desperately want your approval." Kid said softly. His eyes felt watery all the sudden and he leaned forward on his knees.

Patty came bounding into the room with a glass of water and a bottle of pills, and a package of red rope liquorices.

"Take." She said holding out the water and the bottle to Kid.

"It's nice you know having a family like this." Maka said softly.

Kid twisted his head to her abruptly. He knew it, inside he was cheering, He'd been right. Maka was searching for some sort of family to belong to.

"You can become part of this family." Patty said happily.

And Kid felt another jolt ride through him. God bless you Patricia Thompson, thank you for saying that. Kid thought to himself.

She pushed the water and pills into Kid's hands and happily jumped onto of Maka. She wrapped her legs around Maka's waist and Maka held her in a piggy back style.

"Take it." Patty said on top of Maka's back. She ripped open the bag of licorice with her teeth and put one in Maka's mouth and one in her own. She held another one out to Kid.

Kid took the bottle and the water and laid them on the computer desk and grabbed for the string of licorice. He kept thinking that why did he need to take medicine if he could feel normal without it. He just didn't get what Liz was pushing at.

Patty hopped down from Maka's back and moved over to Kid she hopped on kid and began wresting him to the floor. Finally with her enthusiasm she tossed him out of the computer room. In the hall way out of Maka sight she grabbed Kid in a half nelson.

"Take your god damn medicine. There are Oni looking at Maka, and we need you centered and calm." Patty spit out angry.

"Did Liz tell you to do this" Kid choked.

"No" she said her breath filling with ice. "There has been a raven staring in the window all damn night at Maka."

"What." Kid said worried.

What the hell did Patty know about ravens he thought to himself. Hell what did she know about Oni for that matter. Sure they had discussed a few things about the grand design before but Patty was no Shinigami and there was no way she could sense it unless...

"Patty have you been poking around in that book downstairs a lot?" Kid questioned.

"No Aniki everything I understand I understand from watching you for so long." Patty assured him.

"Explain more to me Patty I'm kind of drawing a blank." Kid said confused.

"I feel it, I can feel it when its lingering and sense the turning events you talked about. The turning events that lead to death." Patty said crossing her legs and sitting in the hallway.

"I guess it's because I'm your weapon. Sis doesn't seem to notice though." Patty said sadly.

"I didn't know the two of us could talk this way." Kid said sitting on the floor.

"I want to keep Maka Kiddo-kun" Patty asked, she looked like she was asking for a puppy.

"I want to keep Maka too." Kid said giving her a reassuring smile.

"Then we have to do our best than" Patty said in her normal happy go lucky tone.

Patty held out her pinky to kid and Kid latched his pinky with hers and brought it down into a pinky swear.

"Have you been able to count how many events have passed?" Kid questioned pulling Patty up to her feat.

Patty held out three fingers. One we failed, two went right though.

Kid gulped he hadn't been watching for deaths work because he was naturally immune to it, it scared him to know that someone he knew was being targeted by death's grand design. It bothered him more to know it was Maka he suddenly fell to the floor feeling a anxiety attack coming on.

"Be quiet" I'll get your medicine Patty said slipping back into the computer room.

Patty held out the glass of water and two blue pills to Kid and Kid reluctantly swallowed them.

"We need to stick to Maka as close as possible." Patty said quietly.

"Considering I'm her boyfriend that shouldn't be too hard. But I want to know what turning point went wrong?"

"Sis grabbed Maka, if she would have spent the night at home one of the turning points would have been prevented. Or if Maka would have left before she got in the argument with Soul that would have given a different outcome too."

Kid was surprised at the amount of detail Patty was predicting, he himself couldn't even do that. Basically Death to him was knowing where to step on rickety bridge but Patty had seen whole scenarios.

"What can we do to avoid the next turning point, or make it go our way.?" Kid questioned out loud.

"Something will happen tomorrow at school. There is something set for the field trip as well." Patty answered .

Kid looked up surprised the question had been rhetorical he was surprised Patty had a plan. Maybe he had been underestimating Patty and her potential. Maybe everyone had been underestimating Patty.

"I don't like thinking this hard Kiddo it gives me headaches."Patty complained.

"Don't push yourself too hard than, if this is a new talent your developing you don't need to push yourself till you feel like your breaking." Kid scolded. "This is a new gift correct?"

"Yes." Patty answered again. Kid noticed she was rubbing her eyes and head a lot.

"The Oni from today, did a Oni appear the other times too?" Kid questioned

I don't know? Patty spoke deject her little girl voice sounded as if she were about to cry.

"I saw something weird floating around the salad bowl was all, it had weird eyes and looked formless, sort of like a lava lamp. I only knew it was a Oni because of the picture book in the library."

"I don't want you messing with that book anymore you got that Patty, thats a Shinigami book and it's dangerous you can get hurt playing around with it, and there are things in it that might scare you or make you sick. " Kid scolded again.

"I understand Aniki." Patty said softly.

"Where did you learn that word from?" Kid questioned wondering why Patty kept calling him brother in Japanese. He found it to be cute but he was still curious.

"Tsubaki called her brother Aniki and I asked her what it meant. I figured since you are infatuated with Japanese things you would like it if I called you that." Patty said shyly.

"I do like it." Kid said patting her on the head. Its very endearing he thought to himself and looked back into the light coming from the room.

"We should check on Maka." Kid suggested.

"I don't think I can stay awake all night again?" Patty complained " I did it last night, after I got scared and saw the first turning point. I was afraid another would happen right away but nothing did happen."

"You can't wait around for death, it doesn't work that way Patty, you'll end up wasting your life looking for signs if you follow that path." Kid said cautiously.

"One more thing Patty, You're not suppose to know about the Grand Design at all so you need to keep it a secret ok. I know it's a big burden but people don't need to live in fear of when they are going to die. "

"But you see people die all the time Aniki and you're not afraid of death." Patty pointed out.

"That's because I'm a grim reaper, and sending human souls...er places is my job." Kid answered stopping half way through to change his choice of words.

Patty was way to impressionable, and obviously she watched him like a hawk and could remember things quite well when It came to death the kids work. He didn't want to burden her anymore than he already had.

"You and Liz get some sleep tonight, I'll keep an eye on things." Kid said patting Patty on the hand.

"What about Maka though." Patty questioned.

"She be with me tonight," Kid whispered.

Patty went wide eyed for a minute and punched Kid in the jaw. She twisted her hand and rubbed out the punch than and went back into the computer room.

"Liz was right." Kid snorted, Patty definitely wanted Maka to be part of the family. Maybe even more than he did the way she was acting. Kid rolled that statement in his head a few times and decided that couldn't be possible, not with as much as he felt toward Maka.

He followed Patty back to the room.

Suddenly he heard a shriek and three of the chandaliers in the hall fell for no reason. He bolted back into the computer room to see a dark figure twisting and rapping it self around Patty and Maka. It was formless and looked nothing more than smoke but he could see a long clawed hand reach out two Maka. The hand looked more like thing sword blades than a normal hands. It quivered and made a snatch toward Maka but Patty nailed it in the stomach with one of her powerful kicks. The figure staggered backward an took on femine almost feline looking curves, and reached toward Patty this time. But Patty transformed. Kid could hear Liz running up stairs now screaming what was going on.

Maka launched a kick at the creatures face and a sick cracking noise could be heard. She had spun around and grabbed the gun that Patty had turned into and tossed it to Kid. Kid tried to level the gun on the shadow but it twisted and left wholes through its body and let him see strait through it to Maka.

Who are you Maka screamed launching another volley of kicks and punches at the beeing she had kicked the chair into the beeing and brandish a letter opener at it slicing in the thick layers of miasma. A feminine voice cackled and the clawed hand caught Maka by the leg tearing and marring her flesh. Kid watched helplessly holding Patty in his one had and Liz transformed and fell into his grip.

At that moment Kid pulled for Maka and began firing. The shots volleyed and ricocheted into the computer, It was like he was shooting at smoke than the being split into a murder of crows and flew out the window. This wasn't the same as the raven before this was small birds small crows scattered and cackled about the room. And a femine voice answered Maka's question. Murder my name is murder.

"A witch" kid spat looking at the crows as they shattered out the window through the melee of fire he was launching.

A few of the bird fell to the ground bloody and dead but most of the crows escaped.

Kid watched as the crows took off into the sky cackling and you can almost hear a human like laugh among them.

He looked over the guillotine sitting in the front yard and saw the raven prancing back and forth along the top of the blade. It looking interested at the other birds, but it didn't not caw at them instead instead the bird swayed back and forth. Maka leaned out the window and the bird looked more interested now.

"Oh no another one Maka called out." Looking for something to throw.

"That's a raven not a crow," Kid corrected and watched Maka relax a little.

"There will be no soul for you to take tonight." Kid yelled at the bird

"Now go before I decide to pass judgment on you as well." Kid gritted his teeth and released the twin guns.

The bird squawked than and flew off another direction away from where the crows and flown. He watched the raven leave and vanish into the thick layers of the netherworld.

"Maka your leg." Patty squealed and grabbed Maka up and hauled her into Kid's bathroom.

"Pretty ballzy of a witch to come into death city and try something here." Liz said spitefully.

"She was sending us a challenge." Kid spat out viciously.

"And that was no ordinary witch either." Kid added

Kid wanted to check on Maka but his eyes stayed on the sky and on the broken window afraid that something might come back and return.

" You need to go down stairs, and get the salt Liz. I want that and roll of masking tape and some spirit scrolls. Were sealing this room up tonight, and were putting a protective charms all over the house."

"What about Maka?" Liz said surprised.

"I'll check on her when I know she's and the rest of us are safe." Kid reached to a second medicine bottle that fallen on the floor and popped two white pills in his mouth from the contents.

Someone should call Soul and all the others as well, tell Patty to do it when she's finished bandaging up Maka.

"What are you going to do then." Liz questioned.

"I'm going to construct a magical barrier around this house" Kid said leaping out the second story window. Put the salt and stuff in my room when you're done.

Liz watched Kid hit the ground gently and began some sort of ritual on the lawn within minutes she noticed a large blue dome had covered the entire house from the fence line all the way back to the car. But Kid stood there still performing some sort of ritualistic magic.

She took off down stairs to fetch the supplies he asked for and smiled.

"And here I was worrying about him becoming too codependent." Liz thought to herself grabbing a cookie jar full of salt from the kitchen cabinet.

"Looks like I was wrong."


	10. Chapter 10

Forever in the Never After

* * *

Kid ended the protection ritual satisfied that no man, women, child, or Shinigami-sama himself would be passing into the grounds tonight.

"No-one violates the sanctity of my home and lives." He spoke grinding his angry words through his teeth.

He had made this a safe place, A place where he felt Patty and Liz could live unburden by the dark world they had come from. Sure the place was a bit spooky here and there, but so was the rest of Death City. That sanctity had been violated tonight and he was infuriated. How the hell had that witch even managed to enter the threshold of the building anyway. Kid had noticed right away that the witch didn't posses a soul and was propelling herself on sheer magic alone. That alone should have impossible, after all without a soul what were you. A mindless husk.

No kid thought to himself its more simpler than that, without a soul your dead. The thought of a undead witch sent shivers up and down his spine. Witches were strong enough without having undead attributes. Beyond their ability to control a animals they had magic, and many practiced potion and spell making but that witch had been void of even possessing a normal body. No witch can simply make its body full of holes and stretch and bend like that, it just wasn't possible.

Kid looked up to the room he knew was his and saw the light was still on. He wanted to be with Maka right now. Her leg had been bleeding profusely and he hadn't even stopped to check on it. He scolded himself for being a bad boyfriend, even though he knew he should secure the house first and then take care of her.

Kid opened the front door and check on the threshold, it still had its familiar warding magic intact everything was still in place.

He understood how the Oni got in after all oni's were death spirits, spirits that set up the calamity that would allow a person to pass into the afterlife. Not a magic in the world could block a oni from entering. If they had been summoned to do harm to another. They were death magic. Magic used primarily by undead things, and monsters, and high density demonic and ravenous ghost. That witch was another story though, she was tangible and not made of magic and spells, yes she was a form of undead like the Oni but having a body made rules.

Witches used magic and magic also has rules that limit it. A witch should not have been able to cross into a home without breaking a thresholds magic. Public spaces were one thing because they didn't bare a threshold but a home, well there are certain magic's that protects a home from unwanted invasion by magical forces. Who ever had sent the Oni must have known that but who ever had sent the zombiefied witch had not, or new that the witch could somehow overcome these boundaries.

That witch would be a hell of a lot stronger if she had been intelligent enough to break the threshold magic that suppress witch craft.

Kid stepped into the house and began working his way up the large staircase. "Liz must have already found everything we needed to bar up the house from magical forces." Kid spoke to no one but himself.

He was slightly frighten to enter his own room, he could hear Patty in the bathroom talking to Maka. Liz was on the phone activating the campus phone tree. He could hear Black Star's frantic voice coming from the receiver. And Kid's head was beginning to throb.

Kid was never good with dealing with blood. Hell most obsessive compulsive disorders patients could not tolerate body fluids, Kid tried to relax himself to prepare for what he knew was waiting in the bathroom. He knew Maka had been injured he had seen that claw like weapon the Witch had used on her. But he wasn't entirely sure to what extent. He listened at the door and tried to gage what he was going to see before he went in. Something had frozen him to the spot on the floor. He wanted to see Maka, but he was afraid of the wound.

"Maka we need to get you to a doctor I think this needs stitches." Patty cried.

"If you hear your brother coming I want you to keep him out of here." Maka said calmly.

"But Maka your wound." Patty argued.

"Kid will get sick if he sees this. I don't want him passing out, or having a panic attack." Maka scolded.

"Please Patty don't let him see me this way." Maka added softly.

This is what Maka thought of him. Kid thought sourly, she thought he was weak that he needed to be protected even though she obviously was injured. Kid's ego took a huge hit; and he realized she was right.

He leaned against the door and felt his face begin to fill with tears. He was weak this stupid illness was crippling him. If he could have only used the one gun alone when Patty had changed he would have been able to protect her. Kid's fist balled up and he realized how much he hated himself right now. He hated feeling this way. Feeling this helpless, he thought again to the razor like clawed hand that had tore at Maka and pushed himself into the bathroom.

"Come on were going to the hospital." Kid said emotionless.

"You need to get out of here Kid-kun." Maka said through clenched teeth.

"Liz have you called Soul and Maka's dad yet." Kid called out into the other room.

"I don't need to go." Maka argued passionately

"Were going" Kid growled looking at the four deep wound on Maka's left ankle.

This is it time to man up Kid thought to himself he felt and dropped down to the floor to get a better look at Maka's ankle. The wounds were deep you could see the flesh pushed from side to side with as if they had been ripped apart with a steak knife. This made Kid's stomach flinch and fought back the urge to vomit. He touched Maka on the head and felt her skin was cool and clammy. There were towels with blood on them everywhere. Maka's own hands were pressing against the wound holding a inky tar like blood from falling onto the tile floor.

"Don't worry Its healing already." Maka complained in a almost inaudible whisper.

Her voice was sweet now like nothing was happening. She pressed her fingers into the wound and more black blood began spilling out and filling in her flesh. Kid watched as Maka was forcing the blood out of herself so the black blood would heal her.

Kid looked at the wound again and fought the urge to get sick. The strange oily substance was clotting Maka's wound, repairing the flesh, The same blood that both Crona and Soul shared was healing her. He sat down on the floor and inspected it closer and felt ripples of dark magic coming from Maka's leg. Her eyes clouded over and her soft voice slipped away she was giggling now, some sort of insane macabre of laughter.

"You don't have to watch it will heal, this isn't the first time its' happened before." Maka tried to hold back a fit of laughter.

Kid looked at Maka surprised he was unaware that Maka had shared this ability with Soul and Crona, and found it puzzling she had not informed the rest of the group.

Maka coughed a little and kid notices she had spit a bit of the black blood in her hand. He watched mortified as she lowered that same spit down to her ankle, the saliva flowed into the wound and knit it together. The wound was healing all right, but it was by no normal means. The skin itself began closing before Kid's eyes.

He felt his neck grow sweaty and he swooned for a second. She had spit in her wound and it was healing. It was too much though. He thought, just too much to handle.

"Please don't call my Papa. Maka hollered to Liz. I'm in no mood to deal with him tonight. I just want to lay down and go to bed." Maka pleaded.

Kid looked away from the wound and into Maka's eyes. They were pleading with him begging him to do as she asked. The wound had nearly healed itself, the tissue showed only a slight scar, but the black blood was still working its magic, bubbling away like peroxide and healing Maka's scarred flesh.

"You don't need to be here Kid-kun. You don't have to watch." Maka said again.

"Liz hang up the phone." Kid called out emotionally, his eyes were watering and he picked Maka up and gathered her to himself. He could no longer look at the wound. He no longer wanted Maka to sit there and try to pretend nothing was wrong. Her perfection was marred he had seen it and it made him angry he would kill whoever had done this. He would make them pay. But right now, right now Kid just wanted to forget.

He buried his face in her his voice cracking in whispers. "What do we need to do?" He whispered.

He felt a damn of emotions break loose. He was crying now, someone had hurt his princess. Why am I this useless Kid thought to himself. Should I listen to her, should I disobey and take her to the hospital. I don't know what to do.

Maka buried her own head into him, he felt her eyes were wet as well and they were dropping down against his bare skin "Please Kid-kun, please don't stop loving me because of this." Maka whispered

Maka wasn't laughing any more she was crying. She had seen the revulsion on Kid's face. Seen the heat and the anger, that leapt to his eyes. She was tired though. Losing all that blood had exhausted her. Forcing the insanity to the dark recess of her soul had left her empty and devoid of all energy.

Kid rocked her back in forth in the bathroom. His heart hurt. What Maka had said had left a sting of truth upon him. Maka had been afraid to let Kid see her, because she was worried that he would look at her as damaged goods. And Kid felt hurt because he had for few brief seconds considered her perfection marred. Liz was right, he was putting too much pressure on Maka. Too much pressure to live up to a impossible standard, maybe she was better off left to Soul.

Soul could give her a normal relationship one which didn't entail things like leaving for the netherworld, or being surrounded by the souls of the dead. They could continue to hunt for Kieshan eggs and Maka and Soul would be fine together.

After all Kid had no future anyway. He was going to become the embodiment of death, and take over the netherworld. What kind of life could he offer. Kid just rocked more and more holding on to his sobbing girlfriend. He noticed that it was quiet outside the bathroom, evidently Liz had gotten off the phone, and Patty had disappeared somewhere in the house. Hopefully to put of the Shinto charms and cross all the doors and window seals with salt.

He raised Maka off the floor and Maka began to weep louder. "Please Kid-kun." She hiccupped and cried.

"Its ok" Kid soothed.

He laid her down on his bed and felt her grab onto his shoulders. She wasn't going to release him. She wanted him next to her. He kicked off his dirty house slippers and lied in bed wrapping himself around her body.

"You'll always be perfect to me." Kid said pressing his face into her naval.

He felt the lie slip from his tongue easily. It hurt him more that he had said it, but it was what Maka needed to hear.

Maka tears stopped a little she laid her hand on his head, "You're not upset with me than. You don't find me ugly because I'm not..."

Maka couldn't finish her words she was crying again, worried hurt and exhausted.

Kid looked her leg over again. The wound was gone there wasn't even a scratch on her leg, whatever damage had been done had been erased by Chrona's mysterious black blood."

Kid bent down and kissed Maka's ankle where the wound had been. It was a apology kiss, a kiss for thinking that she wasn't perfect or ideal for a second. A kiss for being not strong enough of a man to protect her. A kiss that begged for her forgiveness for ever doubting her.

Maka's tears dried and she quit sobbing. She pulled Kid up to her face by his shirt and kissed him again there was desperation in her kiss Kid could feel it, something else inside him could feel it too because his need was now overwhelming his need for self hatred.

"I love you." Maka whispered into Kid's mouth.

She was pulling on him now. Grabbing for his hand her kisses were comming faster and more desperate. Kid's eyes shut and he began returning her kisses with the same fervor. He could feel it now, what Maka wanted from him. She was still worried, worried about something stupid like what he thought of her. Maka wanted to feel beautiful and his body just wanted to take advantage of her.

Kid put on the break and pushed Maka's shoulder on to the bed. He was straddling her and he felt Maka's body moved underneath him. God that felt good he thought darkly.

"Aniki were done sealing up the house from evil." Patty called as she came up the stairs and stared into the room.

Liz followed closely behind her and both stopped at the door there eyes going wider and shocked.

"Aniki I thought we had a talk about this kind of stuff." Patty yelled beginning to stomp her way into the room.

Kid looked down at the awkward position he was in and looked over to Patty, suddenly she appeared more like Godzilla than the normally happy petite blond.

"I was just uhh..." Kid stammered.

"Ah kiddo-kun were going to bed... uh yeah." Liz sprang in quickly and grabbed Patty before she reached the bed.

"Say goodnight to kiddo and Maka Patty." Liz said panicking.

"But Aniki is doing..." Patty continued.

"I know what Kiddo is doing come on Patty." Liz said her face turning red.

"Don't worry I'll shut the door." Liz said before slamming it shut.

Kid slid off Maka quickly.

"Holy crap!" he said jumping up from the bed and began pacing the floor.

"Its ok Kid-kun" Maka said softly.

Evidently she hadn't noticed that he was trying to stop and Liz and Patty had given him the perfect opportunity for him to get himself under control. Sure he wanted Maka. But not like this, not as some sort of violent Shinigami thing that wanted to exploit her insecurities.

Kid ran his hand through his hair and pulled into a mess. Maka was looking at him watching him pace the floor like some idiot. Her lips were parted and her cheeks were flushed. She looked like some sort fan service page right out of a H-rated comic. Her eyes were clouded with both innocence and wanting and Kid nearly got a nose bleed from seeing her. He watched as Maka crawled over the bed in a cat like fashion and found his eyes were lingering on all the wrong places.

"I'm sorry he whispered." polite and curt.

"Its ok." Maka said in a soft sensual voice.

Kid looked into Maka's lime green eyes and his lips parted. She was wanting him and no feeling was as good as watching the woman you love want you. Especially if you felt as weak and useless as Kid was feeling right now.

Kid slid back over to Maka and wrapped his arms back around her. His eyes lowered and he kissed her mouth. He tasted watermelon lip-gloss on her lips he hadn't noticed that today. Most all the other times he had been pawing at her he was to in the moment to notice the little things. His mouth went over her cheeks and he could taste the salt from her spent tears.

"I 'm not going to change my mind about you just because you got injured." Kid said quietly into Maka's hair.

He felt better this was the truth, he was glad it was the truth. Because at one time in his life he may not have felt the way he did now. Kid felt Maka trembling lips find their way to his neck, she was trying to nimble on him but he could tell she had no clue what to do.

"I think you need to rest tonight Maka." Kid said slipping Maka's knees under the sheets.

"You bled a lot and we should have taken you to the hospital but I decided I couldn't say no to you at last minute." Kid said undoing Maka's hair so it went long around her shoulders.

Maka opened her mouth to protest as Kid started to step away. She notice him toss a pillow on the floor and grab a blanket from the closet.

"You don't need to do that." Maka protested. "I trust you."

This made Kid's ears perk up. He was somewhat happy Maka was going to let him share the bed. He had considered this to be a huge improvement against sleeping on the dirty floor. Even if he didn't trust himself completely.

"Scoot over" Kid said with a smirk.

He threw the blanket and pillow back on the bed and began looking for his pajamas. He argued with himself internally about doing this, but he realized Maka wanted this and he had problem with telling her no.

Somewhere in Kid's mind he heard Spirit voice yelling at him and calling him a liar.

"Don't pretend you're doing this for my daughter, you just want to take advantage of her." Spirit barked.

Kid answered the imaginary voice back. "You're probably right!" he then smiled inwardly and stepped into the bathroom. The bathroom floor was littered with the bloody towels, and that made Kid's eye brow start to twitch.

Just think of it as spilled fruit punch, or ketchup, Kid thought to himself. As he started to hyperventilate.

He began picking up towels and not looking at the colors splashed all over them. He gathered them up and found his knees were week. Maka came back into the bathroom just as Kid swooned. She took the towels away from him dropped them in the bathtub and closed the curtain.

"You ok?" Maka said shaky, she had one of her hands on the sink to give her balance.

"Yes I'm fine." Kid said wiping the sweet from his face.

"You're probably getting sick of saving me." Kid said hollowly.

Maka released the sink and padded over to Kid, he could see how unsteady she was. She was pushing herself too much. He thought quietly. Her hand pulled at his shirt and sheared it away from his body a few buttons popped off in the process. She reached out for his pajama shirt and stumbled forward a bit and Kid caught her again.

"You need to be laying down." Kid scolded.

"I can't very well lay down and relax if you're going to pass out in the bathroom over bloody towels." Maka said annoyed.

"Finish getting dressed and come to bed." Maka said exasperated.

Kid did as he was told and slipped his pants off, and slid into his black silk pajama bottoms. He gazed at himself in the bathroom mirror and grunted in disgust.

"Your worthless you know, she's sick and she's still trying to protect you." He spoke to his own reflection with disdain.

He started to put his shirt on and stopped. I need to change, change everything. He said to his reflection wearily. He threw the pajama shirt down on the floor and walked out of the bathroom.

Maka was laying on the bed. The top button of the silk pajama top was undone and the rose colored neckline dived just enough so he could see her long neck. He slid into the bed next to her and fumbled with the blankets.

"I'm sorry." Kid whimpered humbly

"Quit saying you're sorry."Maka said rolling over to him.

"I know what you can do and what you have problems with. There is no need to apologize constantly for something you can't control. " Maka scolded.

Kid's expression turned to one of defeat. "It doesn't mean that I like being like this." Kid said quietly.

He could feel the warmth Maka had left in the bed. She was close to him but not as close as he would have liked. The sheets brushed over his bare chest as Maka closed the distance between them.

"I know." Maka said sweetly.

"I can see how hard your trying. I'm just trying to tell you that you don't have to do everything at once. I know you're not going to get better in a couple of days. I'm willing to stand by you either way." Maka said happily.

Kid felt the overwhelming urge to crush Maka in a hug. He realized half way through grabbing her it was probably the most un-manly thing he could do so he tried to contain his excitement by wrapping his arms around her and pressing her into his bare chest. His hand wrapped around the back of Maka's head his other arm slid around to the small of her back and he pushed himself against her.

"You have no clue how the words you say to me make me feel." Kid said happily.

He released Maka's head from the hug and he watched her eyes turn up to him. She was being gentle and content her emotions remained partial covered by her need to sleep. Kid grabbed her by the bend of leg and pulled her up more so the two of them laid face to face. His hand brushed back her long blond hair and he kissed her forehead.

"Go to sleep Maka, I'll be right here with you." Kid whispered his lips grazing across her cheeks.

He reached over sluggishly and turned off the light next to the bed. It wasn't long before he heard Maka's breath falling deeper into sleep. Her hands were in small fists pushed up against his chest. Her hair spilled over the single pillow they were sharing. The second pillow lay down at her back.

Kid watched as her body tensed and released he knew then she was out for the night. He gently moved the pillow for behind her and laid it at the top of the bed. He pressed Maka to him in a final hug and rolled her over onto her side of the bed. Making sure the blankets were wrapped up to her neck and he pulled himself away.

He raised himself up to his feet and went to the window his feet falling on the plush black carpet that filled his bedroom. With that he gave one last look outside to see if any more birds were resting near the house or on the lawn seeing the blue dome of magic flickering outside made him content and he shut the currents and turned off the light on Maka's side of the bed. Kid then yawned loudly and fell back into the mattress whispering to himself.

"You have no idea how happy you make me." Kid's eyes closed and he fell into sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

*****Warning*******

This chapter has some very crude and offensive behavior going on it. Please don't be offended it's just fiction. NO LEMON But Some LIME in this chapter. Nothing explicit but definitely a little bit of sexual hijinx. As you know I don't own soul eater. etc etc. I censored most of this so I could keep it T for teen.

Soul looked at the ringing phone on the mantel. It was roughly around ten o'clock. He checked the caller ID and noticed it was coming from Death the Kid's number.

"Good she's bored already." Soul said happily picking up the phone.

"Hello." Soul sang letting his voice slide into a low musical bellow into the phone receiver.

The voice on the other end was somehow frantic; Liz was nearly yelling."Soul its Liz."

"What's going on?" Soul set up alert he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

" You need to get over here. Something bad happened to Maka." Liz answered quickly.

Soul began looking around the house for his coat and his shoes. He fell over a empty pizza box and found his shoes beneath it.

"Liz tell me what happened I'm getting my coat now." Soul said calmly.

"A witch, a witch came and attacked us. Maka's ankle got sliced up its bleeding really bad."

Soul could hear Maka's voice in the distance calling to Liz. "Please, please don't call my Papa."

And Soul felt his heart leap in his throat.

"Liz I'm on my way." Soul said half out the door.

He could hear Kid's voice ragged and yelling "Liz hang up the phone."

He hung up the receiver and grabbed his keys and tore out of the driveway into the night.

Maka was injured that's all he needed to know. He knew this was a bad idea. He should have just brought Maka home after the grocery shopping it would have prevented all of this from happening.

He made it to the intersection in record time just quick enough to lean the bike into the next turn. He was speeding now, speed limits would not be observed tonight. When he got to the outskirts of town he noticed a eerie light up ahead. The whole sky was filled with blue light, like some sort of spotlight system had been turned on, getting closer to guillotine manor he could see it more clearly. A strange blue dome of light was covering the entire property. It bore symbols of arcanic magic and the dome encircled the entire house. There was something else weird too. Ravens hundreds of ravens sat in the tree's of guillotine manor dancing back and forth along the branches. The birds squawked and watched Soul their eyes filling with eerie blue light.

In the weird light Soul could see Black Star and Tsubaki. Black Star was hopping about on the ground outside Kid's drive way yelling at the top of his lungs. Soul could see he was seriously pissed and Tsubaki was trying to calm him down.

"There is nothing we can do Black Star." Tsubaki said trying to quiet down the small ninja.

"Something is wrong we got to get in there!" Black Star said again. Soul watched him pick up a brick and chuck it at the electric blue field, but it just ricocheted back.

Soul turned off the engine and jumped from the bike, and ran to Tsubaki.

He yelled feeling panic begin to set in."Where is Maka."

"As far as I know she's and the others are on the other side of this" Tsubaki said motioning angry with her hands.

"We've tried slicing it, breaking it, climbing over it, hell we even tried to go under it, but we can't get in." Black Star said kicking the field with his foot and getting quite a electric shock from it.

"Do either of you have a cell phone on you? I left mine at the house." Soul said rubbing his hands together anxiously.

"Phone why didn't I think of that." Black Star yelled and smacked himself in the head.

It was cold out tonight and the Nevada sky was heavy with cloud clover. It looked like it may rain. Soul watched as the sprinklers came on, on Kid's lawn and the security lights flickered on over the garage. He could see now there was a large hole in the right side of Kid's house on the second floor. It was easy to see with the spot lights now shining near the three car garage. A figure exited out of the house and made its way down the drive way. It ran quickly through the sprinklers to the end and another figure followed after. Finally both girls were lit up by the eerie blue field that surrounded the house.

"I tried to call you to tell you not to come. "Liz said with exhaustion.

Patty followed behind her quietly, she looked a little bit ticked off, there was no playful grin on Patty tonight Soul observed.

"You might as well go back home, Maka's ok that weird black blood stuff completely healed her." Liz said yawning.

"And this damn thing" she said kicking a rock into the field.

"Can't be taken down until tomorrow." Patty finished for Liz.

"I want to see Maka, I'm taking her home." Soul spoke with quiet rage.

"Did you not listen to what I said, we can't get this protective circle down." Liz said leaning against the hangman's tree.

"I want to see Maka." Soul repeated again.

"Maka's ok, Kid flipped out and put the shield up and now nothing can get in and out until daybreak." Liz argued, she was rubbing the bridge of her nose as if she had a headache.

Soul noticed Liz looked really tired.

"Go get Maka now!" Soul shouted, "I'm not going anywhere till I know she's safe."

Black Star laid a hand on Souls shoulder and Soul brushed him off.

"Hey they said she's ok." Black Star repeated. "I want to know about this witch though."

Soul rammed his shoulder into the force field and instantly bounced back, it felt like it was a trampoline, rubbery and electrified and gave sort of a wet feeling too. Soul felt the magic creep down his spine, it felt disgusting like someone had poured jelly down his shirt.

"God your stupid." Liz said irritably.

"Please just get Maka." Tsubaki asked kindly, I think it will make Soul feel better if he could just see her."

Soul noticed that Patty gave Liz a worried look and looked back to another room on the right side of the house.

"About that Liz said nervously, you see Maka is a little..." Liz started in but Patty cut her off and began talking overtop of her.

"Maka felt tired from losing all the blood, she healed up fine but she's sleeping now." Patty answered in a very adult sounding voice.

"Kiddo-kun is with her right now." Patty added "He's keeping a eye on her for the night."

Liz looked at Patty surprised. She had just given a very mature answer and Patty had knowingly left out that the two sisters had caught the couple in bed. She was amazed at the way Patty had successfully skated around the issue.

"I assure you Maka is fine, she's just tired, and I refuse to wake her up just to bring her down here so you can satisfy your male ego." Patty shot out coolly.

Soul stubbed up than and sat down in front of the house. "Then I'm not leaving! "

Liz watched as Patty began slipping into her old ways, Soul was lucky there was a force field blocking him. Because Patty was in the mood for a fight. She was pissed but Liz couldn't tell who she was more mad at right now Kid or Soul. She kept quiet and let Patty's rage seethe its way towards Soul.

"You know you can stay out here all night, we told you she was ok and you refused to listen but the fact of the matter is, you can't get through this field and we are not waking up Maka. So get the f^* out here and go home. " Patty screamed.

" Tsubaki Black Star I'll tell Maka you checked on her in the morning." Patty tried to respond civilly but it just came out creepy.

Soul tried to negotiate "Just go get Maka and let me see her than I'll leave, I just want to see she's ok."

Patty began walking back to the house, and turned around on her heals and flipped Soul the bird. "Try not to catch pneumonia out here." Patty sang and then let out a cackle of laughter that scared all the ravens away.

Liz turned around and apologized to everyone.

"It's been a really rough night." Liz said trying to find the word to explain Patty behavior.

"I don't understand how a witch was able to attack you inside your own house." Tsubaki questioned.

"It was weird she moved like she was made of liquid we couldn't even see her body or her face. When Kid shot her she just made holes in her body for the bullets to pass through. It was really strange."

"You said this shield drops at daybreak." Soul said strumming his fingers against the wall again.

"Yeah, you know you should go home, Maka would worry if she found out you were sitting out here waiting on her." Liz said calmly.

"I can't stop worrying about her. It doesn't matter if I go home or stay here, it's not like I'd get any rest until I see her." Soul answered slowly.

"Could Kid drop this thing if he came out here?" Soul questioned his voice falling to a low and deep tone.

"I honestly don't know." Liz explained.

"Kid can do so many things I can't keep up with all his abilities. It's upsetting but Patty seems to have a better understanding of him than I do lately." Liz said with a huff.

"Can you get Kid down here?" Soul repeated.

"I'll try." Liz said softly "I don't know if he's going to be cooperative, he's pretty picky about looking after people if they are sick or injured." Liz commented thinking of the time both she and Patty had caught chicken pox and Kid insisted they stay in bed for a whole week.

Liz walked away back to the house and Soul sighed with relief.

"I guess we should go home?" Tsubaki said pulling on Black Stars arm.

"I was kind of hoping to find out what kind of enemy did this." Black Star said shyly.

"We can find that out tomorrow." Tsubaki said pushing Black Star toward their house.

"Soul please consider going home, it's a little too cold to sleep outside tonight, and you have already been sick." Tsubaki repeated Patty's concerns.

Tsubaki managed to pull Black Star away finally leaving Soul alone in the dark.

He sat up at against a tree near the graveyard and waited. He noticed he could see his breath in the night air forming in small puffs and he brushed his hands against one another trying to get warm. It was nearly a hour before he saw a figure come walking out of the house in a bathrobe and pajamas. Soul watched as the amber eyes scanned the perimeter before locking on to him.

Kid than broke into a bit of jog and came over.

"I'm sorry Liz just told me, I fell asleep looking after Maka." Kid said quietly.

"Is she ok, can you get this stupid force field down so I can see her."

"I wish I could," Kid said looking rather embarrassed.

"I over reacted when the witch fled and constructed a barrier around the house, I wasn't thinking about anyone getting in or out I was just thinking of keeping the witch away from the girls." Kid spoke modestly.

Kid looked Soul over and felt a little self conscious, he had just been lying in a warm bed with Maka snuggling and leaving soft kisses about her neck and head, now he was staring at her partner and felt oddly embarrassed. It felt like he was looking at Maka's father, Soul had some strange protective need to see Maka and he recognized his concerns. It was almost a brotherly type of love, and Kid watched as Soul shook in the cold night air, unable to feel the cold himself.

"You must be cold I wish I could offer you a cup of coffee or a coat but were somewhat stuck in here till daybreak." Kid spoke politely trying to make small talk.

Soul was surprised at how comfortable Kid was with talking to him. The sisters had been completely apprehension and almost difficult, but Kid acted as if he really would collapse the barrier down if he had the ability.

"If you wake Maka up so I can see her I'll go home." Soul repeated quietly.

"I understand your worried about her. If the situation were reversed I'd probably be doing the same thing." Kid said perceptively.

"We've got about four hours till daybreak. Your welcome to stay till then, but I'm sure Maka will have your hide if you do. She said you've been sick, and waiting outside in the damp night air won't help that." Kid tried to force his voice into a amicable tone, but failed, it sounded like he was correcting Soul and he knew Soul did not want to hear it.

"So you're not going to bring Maka down here." Soul growled.

"I couldn't wake her, and other than carrying her down here so you can see her there is not much I can do." Kid repeated in a polite manor.

Kid looked up startled as one of the bird shifted in the branches above Soul. He backed up and looked at the enormous flock of ravens that were gathered just outside the force field.

"Have these ravens been here the whole time?" Kid said nervously.

"Yeah soon as I pulled up I noticed they were sitting in the tree." Soul said looking up to a light that lit up the wings that fluttered in the trees.

"You need to get inside, those birds are unnatural. They only come out to carry the spirits of the dead to the never after." Kid chided.

"There just birds" Soul said with a snort. "Don't you think your being a little bit paranoid."

"Besides I thought that was a crow." Soul said irritably.

Ravens are recognized as Soul birds actually.

The crow came about because of a European belief that bad priests turned into birds a form of transmigration of souls. Than later that belief was popularized and convoluted by a American piece of cinema called T_he_ _Crow_.

"I'm not in the mood for one of you lectures." Soul argued.

Soul surmised that Maka must be in a room near where the hole was in the house. Kid kept looking back over his shoulder the same way Patty had. As if checking for movement or signs of light coming from a window behind the torn up section in the house. He watched Kid's eyes dart back to the spot again, his vision training on something in the distant before he began to speak with a exasperated tone.

"Well fine than know this , the witch that attacked us tonight was a crow witch calling herself murder. As in a murder of crows. She was able to cross a threshold which prevented her from casting spells, but she would have been a lot more powerful if she had encountered us out in the open."

"That same witch sliced Maka up pretty good. Lucky for us that black blood you share with her was able to heal her." Kid added.

"So why the hell are these soul birds waiting here." Soul said scratching his head.

The only thing Soul wanted to see was Maka, and it was obvious Kid just wasn't going to let that happen. Soul felt a air of indifference toward Kid now, and he was finding there so called friendship lacking.

"So I take it you're not going home?" Kid said sliding up against the field.

"Not until I see Maka." Soul repeated for about the one hundredth time.

"Well than I guess I can wait out here with you." Kid said happily. "Not like I'd be able to sleep anyway. I'll make you some breakfast when the field collapses."

"Why don't you go in?" Soul said growing tired of Kid insistent rattling.

"Then you would be out here all alone with the soul birds." Kid said motioning to the birds.

Not like you would want to hear the real reason. Kid said thinking back to Maka who was warmly wrapped in his bed. God he felt like a kid right now. A beautiful woman had come on to him in her sleep and he didn't even lift a finger to touch her. Maybe Soul was right, maybe he should go back in. Kid thought again to Maka's condition and decided against it. It would be more prudent, not to think about those feeling tonight. Maka had been injured, and needed to rest, not fool around.

"Shouldn't you be taking care of Maka?" Soul snorted angry.

Soul looked at Kid with agitation. Why the hell wouldn't he just go inside already. No one was looking after Maka as long as Kid was out here jabbering away to him. He took in Death the Kid's wardrobe and noticed he didn't have a shirt on just a pair of black silk pants and a house coat. It was freezing out here but he didn't seem to acknowledge that the house coat was paper thin. Did he not even notice the cold.

Soul rubbed his hands together and blew on them for warmth. Soul was freezing his nuts off and this idiot was still standing here hardly even dressed.

Soul felt his stomach growl in protest, he was hungry again and he needed to use the bathroom too. He looked over to find Kid still talking away about the witch from last night, and decided he could at least alleviate one of those biological needs.

Kid watched as Soul turned away from him and began walking over to the cemetery that set on the outside of the field he had erected.

"Where are you going?" Kid questioned baffled.

"To pee you got a problem with that?" Soul yelled back.

Kid watched as Soul found his way to a high tombstone and unzipped his fly. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as Soul began reaching into his pants.

"Good god not in the cemetery there are people buried there!"

"You mind not watching asshole, or are you into dudes like everyone says?" Soul yelled back and reached inside his fly freeing himself.

Kid turned around quickly and heard the stream of urine splattering against marble. He covered his ears out of sheer embarrassment.

" It's a cemetery a cemetery." He protested with a whine to his voice.

"Just think of it as consecrating holy grounds!" Soul yelled back amused.

He looked back over his shoulder and noticed Kid was flipping out having one of his normal tantrums. and arched the stream up to sprayed a little higher so he knew Kid would notice it.

"For the life of me I don't know what she sees in you." Soul thought darkly. He looked over at Kid who was ranting about holy ground, and rights for the dead and decided to have a little fun with him.

"Ah that feels good." He growled smugly and zipped up his fly.

"OH god there is steam coming off the tombstones" Kid cried. "That is just to perverse and disgusting."

"Well when you got go you got to go." Soul said stretching his arms he looked over as the morning sun started crossing the tree line. And made a obvious movement to scratch his ass and adjust himself.

Kid raised on one leg shocked and horrified. How did Maka put up with such delinquency and bad manners on a daily bases. The only thing worse would be picking his nose and fanning gas. Low and behold Soul started doing just that.

"Couldn't you have waited just a few more minutes." Kid screamed angry.

Soul listened to the point where kid started correcting him over public urination and tuned him out again. This was going to be one long day, he thought to himself. We got school in a hour and he had maybe about two hours worth of sleep. His throat was bothering him again and he was anxiously waiting for the field to collapse.

"Hey sun is visible why the hell is this damn thing still up." Soul said skipping a rock at the field.

The rock fizzled a bit and went through the field. The light reached out across the green checkered lawn and touched the blue dome it began fizzling and popping all over but it still stood there. It sounded like bacon grease cooking in a frying pan Soul thought and heard his stomach growl again.

Soul grabbed the brick Black Star had thrown last night and chucked it as hard as he could at the field. There was a shattering noise and the blue broke away.

Soul stepped through where the field satisfied, and heard a loud yelp from Kid. On further inspection he noticed Kid had caught the brick right across his face. His nose was splattered bleeding and his face bared the print of the brick.

"Shit Kid you ok?" Soul said flicking the brick off of Kid's face and giving him a good shake.

Kid mumbled something incoherent and Soul dropped him back into the mud.

"Good your ok." Soul proclaimed and started to walk to the house.

He looked back over his shoulder and noticed Kid still wasn't moving. He nudged him in the ribs a few time with his foot.

"You going to get up or lay there all day." Soul said irritable.

He watched as Kid still didn't move and decided he'd better drag him inside. Soul grabbed Kid by his collar and began dragging him through the lawn.

"You know you're a real nuisance completely un-cool. I need to be checking on Maka." Soul said dragging Kid into the house. He chose a side door to enter and pulled Kid into a room that appeared to be a kitchen. A very large kitchen. Soul watched as Kid left a mud trail through the checkered linoleum floor and gave a snort of amusement.

"No wonder, Maka has been wanting to stay over here, she probably went nuts over this kitchen." Soul thought to himself. He released Death the Kid collar and let him fall to the floor. He looked at the door where several pairs of shoes sat and began trying to remove his. It was warm in the house everything felt neat and tidy. Just like a funeral parlor Soul thought looking at the heavy drapes and stark walls. He was surprised to see the girls hadn't decorated the house. After all Maka had made their house feel so homey and livable it seemed unusual that Patty and Liz didn't have the same knack for it.

Maka and the Thompson sisters walked into the kitchen then, all in their pajamas. Soul noticed right away that both Maka and Liz were barely even covered, wearing just pajama tops, short ones too that showed little shots of there underwear when they moved, Patty was the only one of the three wearing pants and she had on a tight white wife beater that barely held her large breasts. Yeah and this isn't a harem, Soul thought darkly watching the nymph like girls prance about the kitchen.

"You should drink some orange juice Maka." Liz said pulling out three glasses

"It will help you build blood back up." Patty added.

The girls eyes fell on Soul finally. None of them seemed the least bit body conscious of their state of undress, which was weird considering Maka normally was so prudish. Liz examined Soul and the mud trail that lead into the kitchen she carefully stepped around it so her painted toe nails avoided the mud.

"Holy crap Kid is going to freak when he see's all the mud you dragged in here." Liz said looking at the floor.

Maka cried dropping to the floor where Kid lay limp in muddy mess. "Kid-kun."

"Shit I didn't even notice, him, oh god he's covered in blood and mud." Liz said turning her attentions from the mud trail to Kid.

"What did you do to my Aniki" Patty screamed at Soul.

Patty's hand opened up and pushed Soul back against the butcher-block that divided the kitchen.

"I didn't do anything he just got hit in the head with a brick." Soul said stepping away from the corner of the countertop.

Patty's fists were shaking, her eyes ready to bulge out. She had Soul at a odd angle his back against the the counter top and his legs bent in front of him, Patty stepped over a leg and placed her arms on either side of him barring him from escaping.

" Kid-kun was nice enough to sit out there with you all night, and you, you beat him up." Patty said with quiet anger. Her mouth and eyes took on a feral and rabid look.

Soul adjust his legs so he took a step back from the small blond girl. There was something that just wasn't right about her, and he had seen Patty beat up five men in a row before, her anger ran though him and he noticed she had a dark aurora that screamed murder to him.

" I just threw a brick at the field it was a accident." Soul said frightened.

"You threw a brick at him." Maka screamed. She had gathered Kid about herself and was trying to wipe the mud from his hair, and clean up his bloody nose. Soul looked about Maka's ankle alert to why he was here. He tried to get a better look about her body, looking for small missed injuries but Patty grabbed his face so her eyes could bore into him. Soul watched as Maka tried to rise but found she didn't have the strength to lift Kid this morning.

Maka noted her body overall had been sluggish since she woke up, it just felt slow and weak , she huffed at her uselessness and tried to make herself stand with Kid's dead weight wrapped around her. She had been up for a good hour now and had tried to do a load of dirty towels but had fallen back asleep before the dryer had finished. Her eyes fell back on Kid an her brow nit with concern. She couldn't carry him today, she was going to have to bring him too.

"I'm so sorry" she whispered to Kid's semi-conscious form.

"Maka," Kid whispered back. His eyes opened but he was seeing multiples, and everything had a slightly pink tint to it. Something felt off, he couldn't breathe out of his nose and his face felt like someone had hit him with a shovel.

"Good your coming too." Maka whispered.

Kid noticed Maka was stroking his face, it felt good there was something sticky about him, and he didn't like the feeling. Something thick and wet as well, it felt like bits and pieces were clinging to him in odd ways.

"You should have stayed in bed. " Kid replied hoarse.

His hand fell down to Maka's and he knitted his fingers with hers, there was something squishy between them something scratchy too, thin and plant like. Kid's vision cleared up just enough to see Liz transform and land in Patty's hand. Patty was shooting in the kitchen. His mind reeled for a second and he began to wonder what was going on. His face had a sort of raw feel about it, something gravely and painful seemed embedded in his cheek.

"Can you stand up? I'd help you upstairs, but I can't lift you Kid-kun." Maka explained.

Kid noticed Maka's eyes were soft and full of worry; he just couldn't stomach her looking at him that way. So he forced himself up to his feet, it felt like a mistake, his stomach lurched and he felt the need to vomit. Maka held out both of her hands to him and he took them as she began to lead him forward.

Maka was calling to him as if he were a small child "Come on Kid-kun"

Kid noticed her cough and call him again this time her voice was full of promises again. Though his head was throbbing and he was dizzy he let her lead him forward. He noticed Maka was going back upstairs, and watched her take the quick turn past the Kanji scrolls on the hall into his bedroom. Her hands were pulling him forward faster than he felt he could move but that voice of hers pierced through his sickness.

"What happened." Kid questioned feeling more and more uncomfortable.

He knew something was wrong, his skin wasn't breathing properly and Maka had taken him into the bathroom. He began to feel the swampy filth about him and he began to panic.

"It's ok Kid-kun close your eyes and try not to think about it." Maka offered.

Kid shook his head trying to free himself from the blur of images he was seeing and Maka's sensual voice. He noticed shaking his head made him feel more sick and quit.

"Kid-kun how many fingers am I holding up?" Maka asked placing her hand up to his face.

"Six," Kid answered trying to shake the image from his head, his eyes seemed unfocused and blurry.

"I think you may have a concussion." Maka said in a whisper.

"Let's get you cleaned up first and if your still can not see strait we'll take you to the hospital, I probably shouldn't have moved you but it's too late now." Maka explained worried.

Kid slid his hand over his wrist and flicked off what felt like a pound of mud away. What the hell happened why am I covered in dirt? Kid thought to himself and watched as Maka began sheering off her clothes. Somewhere in the primitive part of his brain it told him to pay attention but he kept seeing double.

Maka had sacrificed her clothes to the laundry and was working on his. He watched as Maka's bobbing breast were held neatly in her bra and her hands began to work loose his robe. She stumbled for a minute trying to decide whether to remove his pajama bottoms or not.

"Kid-kun can you a err... um.. take those off for me?" Maka said turning her back to him.

Kid could see Maka in the mirror now more clearly, she was kind of fuzzily outline. But Maka was wearing nothing more than her bra and panties. He wanted to reach out and touch her but found himself grasping at air. God damn why did his head hurt so much.

Kid clumsily tried to slide out of pajama bottoms and found he was too dizzy and nearly hit the floor head first. He landed on his hands and knees and he noticed his knees were muddy now, and his skin had grass and brown filth stuck to it.

"What the hell happened." Kid yelled angrily.

His loud voice made his head hurt more and he began seeing double again. Maka turned back to him then and untangled his pajama's from around his ankles. It was a good thing he had worn underwear last night his brain thought amused. He tried to look at Maka again and the light seemed to dazzle around her in a halo effect blinding her body from his vision.

"Something's wrong." Kid said trying to shake his head again and noticing small specks of blood were falling on the almond porcelain tile.

"Don't do that don't do that." Maka repeated frightened.

Kid noticed Maka had him by the face to keep him from shaking his head. She was trying to get him to stand but his weight permitted her from hauling him up.

"This sucks." Maka shouted annoyed.

"I can't lift you Kid-kun you have to help me." She explained trying to yank him into the shower.

Kid struggled back to his feet and stumbled into the shower on his own. The water was streaming down his face and it felt good, it was washing the sticky off him. He noticed now the water was turning brown and red. Somehow it made no sense in his mind. He heard Maka saying something to herself then it sounded more like a pep talk.

"It's the same as wearing a bathing suit. There's no difference." Maka explained franticly.

Kid heard her take a large breath and found Maka was getting in the walk in shower with him.

"I don't feel good Maka." Kid explained and felt for the tiled shower seat.

"You got hit in the face with a brick of course you don't feel good." Maka said her voice filling with irritation.

"I hope Patty clobbers Soul." Maka said snidely.

This made Kid smirk. His little sister beating up Soul would have been fun to watch. The water was taking some of the fuzziness away from his brain. His head felt like it was splitting but, he was now noticing Maka was kneeling in front of him. She had a figure now, not some shadowy outline, and Kid realized she was in the shower with him wearing nothing but her bra and underwear. Kid felt a quick electric jolt that brought him back to reality. Maka had reached out to him and was pouring shampoo on his hair.

"I'm sorry if that hurt's" Maka apologized.

What the hell was she doing, why was she in the shower with him. Hell why were they clothed? He felt his wet underwear and began to worry. He looked down at his lap and crossed his legs. As Maka began running the shampoo through his hair. The shower was big enough for two but he had never thought of actually using it this way. Maka was obviously embarrassed though why else would she still be in her underwear and bra. She was kneeling in front of him, the water running down over her breast and around her hair. Kid wondered for a second if he was dreaming, and then decided it wouldn't hurt so damn much if he was dreaming.

His eyes focused down on Maka's body and her wet form, and his body grew warm, each little touch was sending him over the edge. He felt Maka's hands slide bout his hair her chest were somewhere above eye level but he could see her waist quite fine. He was watching her belly move as she attempted to move the mud out of his hair. His eyes kind of focused on her belly button and the top edge of her panties, he forbid himself to look any lower out of fear of Maka noticing his excitement.

"I need to see if it was just your nose and forehead that got busted or if you got another lump in your hair." Maka explained, she sounded almost medical with her observation.

Kid waited as Maka gently ran her fingers through his hair, till the soap washed out. Seeming satisfied she raised herself from the shower and lifted his face to look at her. Your nose is still bleeding but the knot on your forehead looks like it's going down.

"Shinigami's heal fast. You could have waited It would have been fine." Kid choked out embarrassed.

Kid's eyes trailed up from Maka's belly button to Maka's upper half. He found himself having trouble looking at her face considering her boobs were set directly at his eye level. He look at the odd little rosette in the center of her bra and noticed the half lace that covered the shoulder straps was spread across the top part of her breasts. It was a full bra not one made for looks but one made for utility. Its lace wasn't half as pretty as some of the things the girls trotted around in from day to day.

He kind of realized what Liz and Patty were attempting to do by buying Maka new bra's and undergarments. They wanted to give her something, they didn't feel like she had the patience to buy. Something pretty and lovely that didn't look so what was the word...Ah yes boring Kid thought.

Maka watched as Kid shivered under the hot water and noticed most of it was falling on her instead of on him. She grabbed for his hands and Kid looked up at her amused.

Kid flicked his wet bangs from his face.

"I wish I felt better than I do so I could enjoy this more." Kid cooed.

Maka fidgeted around the shower embarrassed. "I was worried you would get upset seeing how much mud you had all over you."

Kid rose to his feet claiming a space in the hot water. He looked up at the streams coming down and felt a lufa rub across his abdomen. This would be so much fun if he didn't have a splitting headache, he struggled again with his sight so he could look down at Maka. Her pigtails were hanging long and soaked down over her bra, and her white undergarments were transparent with all the water.

Oh god she looked good. He turned around and gripped his nose to control the bleeding and felt a bone out of place, he knew if he didn't crack it back it would heal broken so he used a quick movement to re-adjust it and sent a cascade of blood into the shower.

His eyes were feeling better now, some of the pressure was gone in his head . But he felt a little light headed. Kid stumbled backward a little and spread his hands over the wall so the water beat against his back. He could feel the backs of his legs bump against something of Maka's and he noticed there was nothing on the wall to hold onto.

"Kid-kun... Kid-kun are you ok?" Maka cried out.

"I'm fine" Kid answered nasally.

He sniffed for a few minutes and stretched a arm out on the tile to steady himself and felt the Lufa move along his neck and shoulders. He realized now that Maka was trying to give him a bath and he blushed into his arm, pressing his face against the tile. The tile felt good nice and cold, and it set up a prickling pattern against his forehead and cheeks. Checking for concussions was one thing but this was a little too much. Hell didn't Maka realize he was more likely to pass out from embarrassment and hormones at this point than from being physically hit.

Kid stopped thinking feeling her Lufa graze across his lower back. The imagery of Maka in the shower washing him made him changed his mind again. It felt nice, really nice. His brain drifted over the thought of what it would feel like having sex in the shower but he noticed Maka was getting out. His hand made a gesture for her to stay but she didn't see it.

Kid growled his voice filling with masculinity."Hey where are you going?"

"To finish getting showered and dressed. I think you can manage from here, if you need anything I'll be right back." Maka called back leaving the bathroom.

Kid noticed Maka's ears were red and her face was too as she passed by the bathroom mirror. Evidently he wasn't the only one who was overly embarrassed.

Kid slipped the wet boxer shorts off and threw them into one of two bathroom sinks. He still felt kind of dirty and it gave him the crawls. He looked down and noticed his body was still wistfully thinking about Maka and he blanched. He quickly loaded the Lufa up with soap and began manhandling his skin with it. He had to get the dirt off, had to scrub away the image of her touching him like that. He eyed the cold water faucet and decided against it.

"Damn that was close." he let out a sigh of relief.

Kid banged his head against the tile in frustration, trying to command his body through pain to listen to him. He soon realized after he did so that it was a bad idea, he still felt the lump on his forehead begin pounding again. He let out a loud groan and heard Maka running down the hall back into the bathroom.

"Shit I shouldn't have left you." Maka cried angry from the bathroom door.

She grabbed a towel and began trying to move kid over to her and cover his body up at the same time.

Kid felt a wave of embarrasment and guilt wash over him as he looked at Maka."It's ok I just did something stupid." he said with a snicker.

"Did you hit your head again?" Maka cried out seeing blood trickling from the bump on his forehead.

"Yes but it wasn't because of a concussion." Kid said with a sour note to his laughter.

He felt Maka's hands reach up to his head examining him herself. Maka's small face was looking up at him her unnatural green eyes pouring into his gold ones for a second. Her cheeks had a pale look to them and her eyes darted around the room trying to look at anything that wasn't his body. He used his last shred of modesty to cover himself up he waited as Maka wrapped a towel around him.

"I'm going to call the hospital." Maka said franticly.

Kids inner beast roared to life smelling the fear and desperation in Maka. He reached up and snapped her arm from the air and pulled her back to him and left a brutish kiss upon her lips. His towel fell to his ankles and he pushed Maka's body against him forcefully. The Shinigami seeking out warmth and delighted it had found it.

Maka pulled away and looked up at him sternly, she'd realized what she had done, that second of panic she had experienced was enough to set Kid off again. She watched as his demeanor switched from painful to hungry. He was smiling now his one hand gripping the knot on his head, trying to stop the blood from trickling into his eyes, his other hand began making its way over her body. His naked body pressed against hers his arms tugging on her trying to lift her leg from the ground.

"Kid-kun we don't have time for this," Maka said in a deep and menacing voice.

"You need to go to the hospital and I have school today."

Just as quickly as the Shinigami wave came it receded, and Kid was left looking blank and questioning.

Kid looked down at his own body and took a leap back away from Maka and nearly toppled to the floor. "Oh dear god please tell me I didn't do anything embarrassing or indecent." Kid cried out.

Maka stared back at Kid like he was a criminal. It was a look he had seen Spirit receive often, as if Maka was now mentally comparing the two in her mind.

"You need to go to the hospital." Maka said with a tone that would brook no argument.

I think the Shinigami side sort of escalated my natural healing Kid said removing his hand and feeling the lump on his forehead disintegrated to nothing. He gave a sort of shy laugh and try to brush of the thought he was standing there naked in front of Maka, and just a second ago he had probably made some very rude sexual advances.

"I think I'm well enough to go to school if you are" Kid chirped trying to change the subject.

There was no way he was going to let Maka go on that field trip alone. Especially after what Patty had said to him last night. It seemed that Maka was stumbling through death's grand design. Not to mention that some crazy witch was on the lose that seemed to be gunning for all of them.

He looked back over to the garden tub and thought of all the bloody towels. He wondered if Maka didn't need to go to the hospital more than himself. His eyes crept around the curtain to the deep tub and noticed it was empty of offensive blood covered mess from last night.

"I put them in the laundry as soon as I got up." Maka said irritably.

It was like she was reading his thoughts, and he felt a little bit of shock. He decided that she was just reading his body language instead. Kid gave her a confused look.

"Please go put some clothes on and get dressed if your done showering. I need to get out of these wet clothes, and I'm cold." Maka said irritable, she closed her eyes and had a exhausted appearance about her.

Kid looked at Maka embarrassed and realized she too was trying to cover herself and her wet foot was smacking against the tile impatiently. She was worn out physically and mentally, and it was obvious she needed some time to herself.

"Go ahead and use my shower, I'll get your things from the girls room. I promise no more interruptions." Kid said grasping his hand in prayer above his head, and Maka covered her eyes quickly as his towel hit the floor.

He grabbed for his towel and saw Maka go several shades of red.

"Get out!" she screamed with her eyes closed and Kid ducked from the room.

"Ok I'm out of the room" he said shutting the bathroom door behind him and making his way into his own closet.

Kid took a look around the closet and wondered if he had entered someone else's house, there was colored clothes everywhere. Where the hell was his black pants, and his button down white shirts. He went through the drawers and found all his white tank undershirts and underwear remained untouched but he looked around lost for clothes.

How the hell am I suppose to know what to wear together. He pulled off a pair of neutral colored pants from a rack and noticed they had pockets and zippers, covering the whole leg. Hell there was even some sort of brown whip looking belt with it that he didn't quite care for.

"Why did I agree to this," Kid said looking at the clothes depressed.

He heard the water running in the bathroom and realized why. He picked out a navy blue button down shirt and the closest t-shirt and inspected it. It was a navy blue and purple striped shirt that borderline on pink. It had some kind of gradation effect that made it look lighter at the top and darker at the bottom. Kid winced it looked really girly now that he was holding it in his hand. It probably would look wonderful on Maka, or Liz but for a guy it was questionable.

"Pink damn it, they bought me pink, I thought I told them no pink." He pulled the shirt on with the pants and pulled the short sleeve button up over it.

"Damn it all to hell and back, I look like a girl." Kid gritted his teeth together, noticing a logo from some band he had never even heard of.

"I hope the band isn't some stupid boy band." Kid decided prudence was the best choice and buttoned the shirt up halfway covering up the graphic and the band name.

Kid wanted his normal clothes today. Things had been just to weird lately and he felt if he could just put on his normal clothes, that it would bring back part of his sanity, and part of his normalcy. He watched as Patty made her way into the closet inspecting him.

"Very good Aniki!" She squealed and grabbed onto him with a hug.

"I would feel better if I could wear my normal clothes." Kid argued.

"Change is good remember."Patty said wagging her finger.

"Where is Maka?" Patty said happily looking behind Kid as if she were standing behind him.

"Maka is in the shower." Kid explained stoically. He fussed with the collar in the closet mirror trying to get it to lay even.

"Does she have clothes to put on?" Patty said dancing about Kid inspecting him from foot to neck.

"No." Kid offered emotionless.

"Well than she can wear the new outfit me and Sis bought her." Patty said delighted.

Kid watched as Patty pulled on a tag and reached down to snap it with her teeth. Patty was in a excellent mood today. Almost bubbling over with joy.

She stopped for a moment wrapping her arms around Kid's neck. "You feel better Aniki or is your head still hurting."

"I'd feel better if I knew we weren't going on this field trip and my girlfriend wasn't being set up to die by the powers that be." Kid said snobbishly.

"Well you can't have it all." Patty sang happily.

Kid walked from his closet following Patty. It was standard that field trips they were allowed to wear street clothes. He noticed Patty made a turn into her bedroom and began riffling through shopping bags. She plucked up and a glass of orange juice from her night stand and a shopping bag and started back to Kid's room.

"Oi what did you do to Soul?" Kid asked impishly.

Kid was really questioned what had changed to make Patty so happy. After how Soul had acted he wasn't sure if he gave a damn what Patty did to him but the way she was dancing about gave him a nervous feeling.

"Heh I shot him, he looks a little bit crispy now but he'll live." Patty sang happily waving Kid off as she entered the bathroom.

"Maka-chan I'm coming in." Patty hollered at the door before walking in on Maka.

Kid could hear the girls exchange words and Patty came prancing back out happily.

"Aniki you making breakfast?" Patty questioned.

"I was thinking of having left over lasagna for breakfast." Kid said rubbing his hair, nervously.

"Don't eat that," Maka yelled from the other room. She was dressed in a layer tank outfit, and a jean mini skirt. She had her hair down today and had sectioned off two twin braids down each side of her head. Maka strolled out of the bathroom juice in hand. She had a somewhat relieved look on her face and her relaxed body language now showed the time alone had helped improve her mood.

Maka examined Kid and smiled. "That's not too much for you is it?"

"No It's ok, I suppose" Kid glowered.

It really wasn't ok but Kid was forcing himself to make new decisions and try to appear as normal as possible. He looked over Maka's tank top look and the short jean skirt and wondered if it wasn't a little bit too cold to be wearing it.

"Don't you think it's a little cold for that Patty?" Kid said berating Patty's choice of outfits.

"No because we're probably heading to Haiti today on the field trip." Maka defended Patty's choice by wrapping her arm around Patty, and pulling her near.

Kid watched as Patty blushed and smiled. She looked kind of innocent standing next to Maka, her blue eyes kind of lit up happily having been praised.

"Haiti?" where did you get that idea.

"You said it was unusual Professor Stein didn't talk about zombie raising in Haiti, that's probably because he's planning on giving us the first hand experience there is my best guess."

Kid blanched, "You really think Stein thought that far ahead."

"It's Stein what do you think?" Maka said happily.

Maka looked at the door that had remained locked since last night."Kid is ok to break that salt line in the computer room, my book bag is in there?"

"I'll get your bag." Kid answered quietly. "

"I wanted to ask you about the witch too" Maka whispered softly.

Patty looked from Kid to Maka and got the image she was a third wheel so she skipped downstairs. Without a second thought to the whispering couple.

Maka watched as Kid pulled out a medium dagger from somewhere she couldn't see. It was ornate and bared a series of skulls on the hilt, each skull had tiny ruby eyes that glinted in the light and strange skeleton looking hand that held the skull up. The dagger was definitely creepy.

Kid ran the dagger side to side breaking the line of salt and unlocked the door. He partially didn't want to go in the room. He knew the mess would bother him, but what bothered him more was someone had invaded his home and that bothered him worse than the fact they had to fight a witch. A unearthly wind blew up against his face and hair and he felt the last of the Shinigami warding magic break. He stepped into the room examining the mess.

The curtains were torn off the window and the wall bore structural damage to it. It would need a contractor, luckily he had one on speed dial. Maka was standing behind him her hands were wrapping around his waist. He smiled happily, he knew inwardly that Maka was trying to protect him again, but he wasn't feeling the compulsive disorder reacting. He was just angry. Maka arm hugged around him anyway and he felt her burry her face into his back. Her voice came out muffled as she spoke into his back.

"That witch didn't have a soul that I could sense. It also didn't possess a demon wavelength."

"I know" Kid said amused at the glass and debris that lay everywhere. He felt Maka's warm breath against his clothes and her shiver slightly against the Autumn air.

He made up his mind if the field trip wasn't to Hatai he would use Maka's clothing choice as a escape class and they would skip the field trip. He felt happy knowing one thing, the way the witch had hit Maka last night had added a unplanned turning point to Maka's planned death. This had given him one more place in which they had stepped away from Maka's natural life span and it had been for the positive.

Kid grabbed Maka's things and hurried her out the door. Downstairs the two split ways as Maka took her space at the stove and began boiling eggs and Kid sat at the breakfast table eyeing Soul cautiously. He realized that any move he could have made against Soul probably wasn't going to be as strong or as embarrassing as the way Patty had humiliated him this morning.

Soul sat at the table pouting. Liz had given him a blue icepack to lay against his black eye and his sore jaw. Patty had beat him senseless. He was surprised he was even alive the way the girl had jumped around shooting him with the gun. He knew had she chosen real ammunition he would have been a dead man but soul weapons like Patty and Liz just fired esper shot, it hurt a lot but it didn't kill you. Well that was until Patty had became unsatisfied at the damage and loaded her sisters gun up with rock salt.

Soul sat picking the salt out of his wounds. His green sleeves pushed up to allow him to remove the chunks imbedded in his skin. The salt burned and stun like fresh alcohol being poured on him.

"You ok?" Kid questioned popping open his daily agenda and reviewing it for the day.

Soul just grunted irritably. He was watching Maka at the stove, she was trying to peel hot hardboiled eggs. Soul realized even after the sliced tendon and the crazy morning they all had Maka was acting perfectly fine somehow, Maka fit in here at this lunatic asylum, and somehow knowing that made him glum.

"So the witch Murder or whatever her name was. You said she hadn't been smart enough to know she would lose her magic when crossing a threshold." Soul asked looking for something to talk about.

Maka maneuvered the eggs around on the counter and turned to him than. She was slicing the tops off of them and stuffing them with different types of salad and capping them with tomatoes. Soul watched amused as Maka started crumbling feta over the tomato caps to make them look more like mushrooms.

She's trying too hard, Soul thought to himself. Everyone in this house seems to do that, everyone except, Souls eyes fell on Patty she was biting into a piece of butter toast and happily carving away at the butter.

Patty didn't appear to be the rabid lunatic she was just a mere hour ago. Patty seemed to look like she didn't have a care in the world. Soul watched as she carved and bunny out of the butter before smearing it onto her toast.

Maka broke the silence answering Soul's question. "That wasn't the weirdest, the weird part was she didn't even have a face, it was like she had no real form, not to mention she didn't have a soul."

"How the hell could that happen you have to have a soul or you can't move?" Soul said latching his jaw with his finger.

He went over to Maka and grabbed the tray of fairy eggs she was messing with and plopped them down on the breakfast table. Liz looked up from her magazine and coffee to stare at the decorative eggs that looked like something a smurf would live in.

"Oh how cute!" Liz said picking up the finger food and looking at the hardboiled egg.

Patty's eyes got big and she started stuffing the mushroom looking eggs on her plate. "Maka is this my special breakfast?"

Maka wiped off her hands with the dish towel and came padding over the table. She was grinning happily.

"The ones with the large pieces of feta on them have ham salad in them the ones with the smaller pieces have tuna or egg salad. I didn't have the chance to distinguish the both since someone couldn't wait to eat. " Maka chided.

Soul grabbed a couple of the ham salad eggs and began stuffing his face. He watched as Kid sort of sat there dumb. His head was cocked to the side, looking at the tray, that was half plundered.

"How did you get the yolk out of the boiled egg without slicing them in half? Kid questioned pulling a mushroom shaped egg away and laying it on the center of his plate.

"Oh you cut the top of the egg down to the yolk. Since the yolk is denser if you squeeze the white the yolk will squeeze out in once piece, than you stuff the filling in them, of course one or two get ruined so you use them to make them into egg salad." Maka said happily.

Soul watched as kid pushed the egg around his plate trying to cut it.

"It's finger food your suppose to eat it with your hands." Soul said illustrating by inhaling a whole egg filled with tuna salad in one bite.

"I've never seen a hors d'oeuvres like this one before. Do you two normally eat appetizers like these for breakfast." Kid questioned.

"No not normally sometimes we eat cold pizza too." Soul said happily, Good old Maka had alienated Kid were her fancy high tea food. He was glad he had signed her up for the recipe month club now. Even if he did have to eat quite a few of Maka's failures, this was well worth it.

Soul inhaled about two more eggs, before someone started pounding on the door.

"Open up the fields down." Black Star yelled from the other side.

"Black Star don't yell so loud, they may still be sleeping." Tsubaki chided.

Kid raised from the table to open the door. His one egg still only half eaten. Soul wondered if Maka had noticed.

"Yippee just in time for breakfast!" Black Star sang happily removing his shoes before entering the kitchen.

Tsubaki followed him in she had removed her shoes as well Soul noted. There had to be something about this no shoe's policy that he didn't understand.

"Oh how cute." Tsubaki said looking at the eggs.

"Smurf houses!" Patty said happily smashing one with her hand so she could eat it with her fork.

"These would be good in a bento." Tsubaki said happily squeezing between Kid and Maka.

"Yeah they would." Maka said happily.

She looked over to Kid's plate and noticed he was still struggling with the top of the tomato.

"Do you want one of the plain boiled eggs Kid-kun I still have some left?" Maka said happily.

"No I think I'd rather have another piece of that lasagna for last night." Kid answered and made his way to the icebox.

"I would have never figured you were one of those people that would rather eat leftovers for breakfast. I thought only Soul did that." Maka said happily

"Normally we don't have leftover to eat, but Kid-kun loved that lasagna last night." Liz offered popping another egg in her mouth.

"You made Lasagna last night, and didn't invite me over!" Black Star eyes got big and watery, his lip was quivering up and down.

"There is plenty in here if you want a slice" Kid said amicably, "Want me to heat it all up?"

"You bet break out the man food, enough of the stupid girly crap." Soul said happily.

"You're going to eat Lasagna after eating half a dozen of those eggs?" Kid said raising a eyebrow.

"My stomach is a black hole, and I've been sitting outside most of the night remember." Soul said happy to be getting something warm in his belly.

"Besides Maka's lasagna is one of the best things she makes. Don't get me wrong though Maka I like the modified fairy egg recipe too, they would be good to eat for lunch on a gym day."

"Stupid boys have no taste!" Liz said pulling the eggs over to where the girls were sitting.

"I like the eggs Maka, don't listen to them I think they are fine for breakfast."

"I like smurf houses too!" Patty said happily glomping onto Maka.

"Far as I'm concerned you can cook here permanently we'll give Kid the pink slip tomorrow." Liz sang happily.

"I knew this was going to come up." Kid said with a smirk.

"Ok I admit, I don't cook fancy little deviled eggs that look like Amanita muscaria. There is no way I'd even try, it would take me a month to get all those little tomato caps level!" Kid said rubbing his hair.

"What did you call them?" Maka questioned.

"...Amanita muscaria you know little red and white poisons mushrooms." Kid said sheepishly.

"I've never heard that term before was why I was asking." Maka answered.

Kid deposited a kiss on top of Maka's head, and whispered into her ear. "It's not your cooking, I just have problems eating things with my hands. It's just another tick."

Soul watched as Kid casually wrapped his arms around Maka and kissed her. Soul bolted off the chair but someone had stomped his foot so hard it had stopped his instinct to leap across the table like a rabid animal. He looked around the table suspiciously, Liz was coyly talking to Tsubaki. Patty was swallowing down fairy eggs at a alarming rate and Black Star was helping himself to the Lasagna and the eggs. He felt Black Stars hand wrap around his wrist and pull him back down to the table where he was happily depositing one of everything on the table.

"Let it go." Black Star quietly growled before forcing two eggs into his mouth.

"Maka don't you think it's a little cold to wear that today?" Tsubaki commented between bites of her egg.

"Maka thinks our surprise field trip is to Haiti were packing for the beach." Liz said happily.

"Wasn't there a huge quake down there recently?" Tsubaki fidgeted a second looking at her sweater and jeans if Maka was right she had overdressed and would be miserable today.

"Yes there was." Kid commented icily.

"Port-au-Prince was a real mess, the town was completely destroyed there were two hundred and thirty thousand deaths down there, If Stein has chosen Haiti to go to I'd say it was in real poor taste of him to do so. The only reason anyone should be going to Haiti right now is to help with the relief efforts and to help with the clean up. " Kid shook his head and fell back into his chair, he had eaten half of his Lasagna and was now completely un-hungry.

"Did you have to go on that reap?" Liz questioned, Kid's mood was more than just gloomy it was hardened and that meant whatever he had seen was bad.

"Maybe we should just forget the field trip and concentrate on knocking the shit out of the witch!" Black Star said happily.

"I second that motion!" Kid said raising his hand humorless, "I heard Haiti has another hurricane about to hit it, and I frankly think our student body would be unsafe down there right now."

"Maybe Stein is going to have us help out with the relief efforts?" Tsubaki added hopefully.

"That would be good, a lot of the people probably could use some help. Maybe it's more than just a ley line fieldtrip. "

"You have no idea." Kid commented darkly.

He looked at Maka's optimism and made up his mind. No matter what she would not be going to Haiti, nor would anyone else at this table. It was too dark. None of them had seen death on that great of scale, they all were talking about helping the people in Haiti as if it were going to be a trip down to the local soup kitchen.

Volunteering in that type of hostile climate, was meant for adults, people that had hardened stomachs that could deal with death and the aftermath of having a city in destitute, people that could be militant.

He looked at the smiling faces around the table and decided he would not allow anyone one here to see what people turned into when one million people become homeless and their lives had been taken away from them. That side of humanity was not pretty it was more primitive, refugee camps, people starving to death from no food, and people that mentally broke apart from the disaster. It was horrible.

He realized that Liz and Patty were planning on some sort of beach vacation. Tsubaki and Black Star and Maka, looked like they had no clue, they were talking about the red cross with some sort of romanticized notions of being able to help people. He looked at Soul and realized he was on the fence, typical, always cautious. Kid had a sudden appreciation for Soul that minute.

"What do you think we should do?" Soul said crossing his arms and looking at Kid.

"Were not going to Haiti!" Kid commented, his mouth was dry and he was having problems raising his voice.

"If you want to help, send money to the red cross and specify it's for Haiti or go donate blood to the red cross." There isn't a person at this table that is equipped to handle what's going on there right now." Kid argued vehemently.

"What's blood going to do?" Soul questioned.

"Any time there is a natural disaster, there are injuries, and the blood bank of the country go's dry. The red cross literally transports blood and supplies from people who donate down there. If you went to help Haiti today the only thing you would see is refugee camps, wounded, injured, dyeing and the mass graves, the country looks like a warzone. "

"You've been down there?" Liz asked humbly.

"Just recently."Kid's voice went to a whisper. He hated talking about reaps in front of the others, especially mass deaths.

"So if Stein says were going to Haiti, were bowing out as a team. There is a hurricane, cholera outbreak, and frankly we will be in the way of the trained personnel who is equipped to handle what's going on. If you want to do that kind of thing later, on wait till your eight teen and join the peace corp. or the red cross. But I've seen enough disasters lately and I'm tired of feeling helpless." Kid urged the rest of the group.

"So the best thing we can do is give money or blood?" Maka asked calmly.

"Blood more so than money actually." Kid explained calmly.

"People don't want to donate blood, there squeamish and come up with excuses. During a blood drive they get about twenty five pints, and that's considered doing well so donating blood..." Kid paused for a second and Maka finished his thought.

"So donating blood Is what really save lives." Maka explained with a smile.

"That's fine and good but does that mean we go after the witch instead." Black Star said loading up his things.

Kid looked over the table and began collecting the dishes, the others began picking up there school things."No if the trip is not to Haiti we go on the field trip. We can't go after the witch till she is on lord deaths list, but I'll bet anything after my father receives the report I'm going to make the witch will be on the list by lunchtime."

"So you're going to embellish the witch a bit." Soul said with a snort of amusement.

"If necessary." Kid said back with a wry grin.

"What about donating blood?" Maka questioned.

"We'll donate when we get back from either outing that way you can donate too. " Kid commented smoothly.

He bent down to Maka and in a soft voice explained. "You lost a lot of blood yesterday it takes about a day or two to get it back. How does this sound I'll make a fiscal donation in your name today, will that make you happy."

Maka watched as a smile played on Kid's lips, he was amused at something but she didn't know what.

"I think I can make my own donation Kid-kun." Maka said indignant.

"Ok than I'll match it, so they get twice as much." Kid added with resolve.

Maka noticed she was fighting a losing battle and surrendered.

"So are we even going to make a appearance at school." Soul questioned.

"Yes, because soon as Stein says Haiti I'm going to have a few choice words with him." Kid said feeling his smile slip.

"Do you think I need to change clothes?" Tsubaki questioned.

"I'll go grab you something from upstairs, go ahead and start out, I'll catch up." Liz said running back up to her room.

Team Maka made it to school late, it had taken Liz an extra fifteen minutes to catch up she had a whole duffle bag full of clothes with her, enough for everyone, no matter what the weather entailed. She was wheezing, as they finally walked into the end of Sid's first period class and noticed all the teachers were assembling the students. A red haired blur ran past her as they drop their belonging on the desk.

"Maka... Maka my love, Daddy is chaperoning your field trip today aren't you excited!" Spirit said dancing about the room.

"Oh please no!" Maka cried.

Spirit nearly jumped on top of Maka but Maka quickly darted away.

"Death Scythe do you know where were heading to on the field trip?" Kid probed for information.

"I know it was originally suppose to be Haiti and Shinigami-sama changed it because of the hurricane."

"I knew it Stein is macabre bastard doesn't give a damn about anyone." Kid growled.

"Does that mean were going somewhere else or is the trip canceled." Soul questioned.

"Trip is still on, I'm not sure where though." Spirit said happily.

"All I know it's down in the islands down there, Stein told me to pack my Hawaiian shirt and sandals this morning. So are you excited Maka, you get to spend the whole day with your dad in some tropical island."

Kid gritted his teeth to and keep his phony smile up for Spirit. He could see Maka was not even trying to mask her anger, she pulled at Kid's arm and began dragging him away.

"Let's go talk to Stein to figure out where were going." Maka replied calmly.

"Maka seems to be hanging on Kid a lot lately." Spirit said raising an eyebrow.

Soul looked up at Spirit and smirked. "I think so too, I know I wouldn't want my daughter added to his harem."

Spirit blanched and turned ghost white. "...harem"

"Yeah, Kid was spouting out all this lovey dovey garbage at lunch yesterday, It seems he's set his eyes on Maka now." Soul said with a sly smile.

"My Maka, with Death the Kid?" Spirit broke into a fit of sobbing.

"Maka is just a baby though she's too young to date!" Spirit said with conviction.

"I thought so too, but it's not as if Maka listens to me after all she snuck out and spent the night with him just the other night." Soul mentioned casually.

"And now she's wearing new bra's and doing her hair, and wearing make-up." Soul added.

"Pappa won't allow it!" Spirit yelled with conviction, and took off the direction of Maka and Kid.

"You realize that was just plain evil!" Tsubaki said dryly.

"Any chance I can screw with Spirit I do so." Soul proclaimed with a chuckle.

Black Star punched Soul on the head. " But you're not just screwing with Spirit now your screwing with Maka and Kid too."

"Two birds with one stone." Soul said smugly.

"But she's your friend!" Tsubaki screamed emotionally. "How could you do that to your friend."

"Did you ever think that I love her and I can't stand the way the two of them are hanging on each other! I just can't stand it anymore. She's my miester, I don't want her hanging on Kid, or spending the night with Kid or kissing Kid or any of these things. I just want her to stop. I want her to come home and have things like they always are." Soul screamed at Tsubaki.

Soul could feel that his eyes were wet. He completely had lost his cool and his face felt like it was on fire. His throat felt dry and hoarse.

"If you love her as much as you say you do, don't you think you should tell her?" Tsubaki said calmly.

"I want to, I just can't talk to her though, Every time I get the chance something happens and I can't tell her. I know I'm acting like a sick bastard but I miss her, I want her back." Soul yelled emotionally.

Tsubaki raised her hand and squeezed Souls shoulder. "Then you need to get her back, but that's only going to happen if you tell her how you feel."

Black Star looked at Soul and felt no sympathy for him. He knew what Soul was going threw but he was handling it completely wrong. If he really loves her, he should step aside and let her be happy. He should want her happiness more than his own. That's the way it suppose to be, that's the way I've always done it.

"Black Star where are you going?" Tsubaki called out.

"I need some air." Black Star said crossing his hands behind his head and began walking from the class room.

He heard Tsubaki comforting Soul in the other room

"Don't worry I'll help you, I know what to say how you should act and what to do." Tsubaki squealed happily.

"It ain't right." Black Star yelled in the empty hallway.

He pushed himself into a run and found Spirit making his way to Kid. With a quick slide he sprawled Spirit out on the floor.

"You and I need to have a talk man to man before you go and ruin your relationship with your daughter permanently." Black Star said hauling Spirit back up.

"You're a couple of years to early to be having man to man conversations with me Black Star." Spirit said with a chuckle.

"Shut up and listen. Your daughter ain't fooling around with Death the Kid. All that stuff Soul just said was a load of garbage, he was just twisting the facts so you would think the worse. He's just pissed off because Death the Kid beat him to the punch and asked Maka to be his girlfriend. It's not super serious yet, if it was I'd be the first to know! If you go poking your nose into this Maka is going to think you disapprove and she's going to make some stupid choices just to spite you." Black Star explained in a low and menacing voice.

"Why would you be the first to know." Spirit said annoyed.

"Because Maka would tell her best friend who happens to be Tsubaki and Tsubaki and I don't keep secrets." Black Star explained.

"So your saying if I go butting in Maka is just going to do the opposite of what I say." Sprit said calmly.

"Kami was the same way with her father I guess there is no use in thinking Maka would be any different." Spirit said dejected.

"But she's my baby and she's too young to date." Spirit started bawling.

"You rather she date my buddy Soul or Death the Kid?" Black Star said kicking Spirit shoe.

"Is neither a option." Spirit cried hugging on to Black Star.

"Neither means me!" Black Star answered sarcastically.

"Then how about none of the above." Spirit cried again.

"None of the above means she's fresh meat for the four stars that have been eyeing her at school." Black Star said disgusted.

Spirit had just wiped his nose off on his shirt. Being the big star sucks sometimes.

"You're a good boy." Spirit said patting Black Star on the head, and crying all over him some more.

Black Star tolerance wore off and he kicked Spirit hard enough to pinball him across the room.

"So annoying." Black Star grumbled and made his way toward Kid, Stein and Maka.

Kid was arguing with Stein Black Star could hear his voice rise from down the hallway.

"What gives you the right to expose students to a natural disaster aftermath. " Kid scolded.

"Calm down Kid-kun." Maka chided.

"I will not calm down, its reckless and disgusting!" Kid yelled at Stein.

"As I mentioned before we are going to Jamaica now, the hurricane has changed path and we can study Obeah zombie raising instead of Haitian voodoo." Stein said drolly.

"Obeah zombie raising, is completely fringe. Anyone found practicing Obeah is Jamaica is put in prison, what if someone from the school messes up and uses their abilities huh. What do you think they are going to think we're doing." Kid argued again.

"Your just bent on not going on a field trip." Stein proclaimed.

"I just want the student's of this school to be safe." Kid argued.

"Well Shinigami-sama thinks Jamaica will be fun for the students and it will be a nice field trip, so I guess you've been over ruled Kiddo."

"Don't call me that, only my family calls me that." Kid spat.

Stein just snorted and just watched as Maka clung to Kid's arm.

"Maka what do you think about going to Jamaica to see the lazarus pools?"

"With no hurricane, I think we'll be fine, Kid-kun is just worried about the students and the trouble it could cause but I'm sure we'll be ok." Maka reassured.

"You are becoming more like Kami every day." Stein complimented in a smooth tone.

"I figured you would want to go after the witch that attacked us last night. " Kid questioned displeased.

"She is not on Lord Deaths list. We can't just go hunt her down because she attacked us." Maka said happily.

" I can." Kid replied unhappily.

Stein snorted in amusement, just like watch Spirit and Kami in the old days. He thought to himself. Well it would be a good field trip, he was sure the kids would want to spend extra time in Jamaica once they seen it. Sure Haiti would have been better but both Jamaica and Haiti lied on the same negative ley line structure. The only thing different was that Jamaica's ley line fell in a series of caves that only remained opened during low tide. That meant the kids would get some good snorkeling and beach time.

"Have you heard from Kami lately Maka?" Stein said moving the two children back to the class.  
"No not in over three months." Maka whispered quietly.

Kid reached up and moved Maka's bangs from her face. He wrapped his hand around hers and let go when he noticed Black Star was waiting for them.

"We leaving yet?" Black Star said kicking off from his position on the wall.

"Yes were headed to Jamaica" Maka proclaimed happily.

"We going to Jamaica or are we going after the witch that attacked last night?" Black Star asked Kid more than Maka.

"What witch?" Stein said perceptively. He had heard the students mention a witch twice now and he was curious as to what they were talking about.

"A undead, witch attacked me and the girls at guillotine manor last night. She's calling herself Murder, evidently crows are her animal to call." Kid said in a business like tone.

"Is Patty and Liz ok?" Stein questioned.

"Yeah Maka was the only one to get hurt." Black Star said with a laugh.

What was Maka doing at Guillotine manor last night? Stein thought to himself. His mind fell to Spirit immediately. Spirit you better have a talk with your little girl. Stein thought impishly. Upon entering the room he scanned the room for his former weapon, and temporary class chaperone. Spirit was dressed in a very loud Hawaiian shirt. His eyes were bloodshot and currently pouring down tears. Seems Spirit was already aware of his little girls bad decision making.

Stein broke off from the students and began tracing the numbers 5262422 into the large mirror standing in front of the black board.

"As many of you already figured out were heading down to study zombie raising in the Greater Antilles Islands. You will be happy to know we will be headed for Jamaica. Since professor Sid is forbidden to enter the Island, and Maria Naygus has also offended local authorities, we have invited Spirit Albarn to chaperone. Lord Death told us to have safe trip and to avoid using all your abilities, no matter how great or how small when you get to the island. As far as the indigenous subject... err I mean people, we will need to pretend we are just normal tourists, if anyone asks were a junior and varsity soccer team."

Stein finished by scolding a couple individuals in the back of the class who groaned about not having the proper clothing and made his way over to Spirit.

"How you holding up?" Stein said lighting up a cigarette as the first of the students began stepping into the looking glass.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" Spirit shifted nervously trying to regain his composure.

"Well you have been crying like a baby , and I'm guessing it has something to do with your darling daughter having a boyfriend."

"Does everyone know about this but me!" Spirit screamed.

"No I just found out a minute ago myself." Stein said shoving his cigarette in Spirits mouth and lighting a second one.

"How long do you think this is been going on." Spirit said taking a long draw and rubbing at his ulcer.

"As I said it caught me completely off guard today, I can say one thing though, you better be glad its Death the Kid and not Soul or Black Star."

"Why." Spirit said shocked with a grotesque look upon his face.

"Kid is completely socially inept, he's lucky if he can make it past first base, Black Star and Soul on the other hand..."

Spirit began covering his ears and singing. "La la La I'm not listening."

Stein pressed his lit cigarette against Spirits hand to regain his attention. Spirit stepped away shaking his hand in disbelief.

"As I was saying better Kid than one of the others." Stein added.

"Somehow I don't think I share your sentiment." Spirit said glumly.

"I know you would prefer none at all for her but she's a teenager she's going to date."Stein commented watching the last of the students go through the mirror.

" No that not what I meant. I actually think Black Star would have been better, If I had to pick one." Spirit whined. He was rubbing his stomach like crazy.

"Black Star!" Stein laughed incredulously. "Arrogant, egotistical, little punk? You think Black Star would have been a better choice, the boy has a god complex and a brain that might as well be eaten as jello."

"He actually gave me a pep talk about a half hour ago and he's always been the boy next door, big brother type. I think I could deal with him easier, not to mention unlike Kid, I have bestowed the fear of god in that kid." Spirit said laughing out the side of his face.

"Are we talking about the same Black Star, Blue haired kid with a really big mouth and feet to match."Stein questioned.

"Yeah same kid, but I can see he's growing up quite a bit. He's not just fighting for no reason anymore, he's settling down. Plus Sid was a good influence on him." Spirit said happily.

"Well I hate to burst your arranged marriage plans for your daughter, but Maka can't stand Black Star. She actually asked me to remove him for her team once. He grates on her nerves, the same as he grates on mine. He's a hell of a martial artist but he needs to be put in his place at least once a day." Stein said gathering and strangely stitched Hawaiian shirt and slipping it over his grey one.

Stein stepped through the mirror and the world changed around them. They were outside a lip of the cave now. The students all waiting by anxiously, the tide was down and waves broke into small foams on the beach.

" Ok everyone tear off boys go one way girls go the other. You'll find the school swimsuits from gym laying in a large pile bye the changing station. After your done changing grab a snorkel and some fins. You got that." Stein barked.

"What if we brought our own bathing suits? Dr Stein." Liz challenged.

"Well weren't we prepared today Mrs. Thompson, oh before you go tromping off give me your assignments so I can hand them off to Sid to grade."

The class groaned again and began emptying out there book bags on the ground searching for their papers. Spirit went around collecting them and Stein her a moment of grumbling from the students about getting sand in their book bags.

" Go ahead and toss the rest of your stuff back through the mirror." Stein said straddling the mirror and dropping the stack of papers on his desk.

"...So disorganized." Kim spoke to herself.

Stein gave a few cranks to the screw on the side of his head. He waited as it he felt his mind wound up tight and his thoughts felt less disorderly. "Ah that's better."

"You got fifteen minutes, get changed, get in gear."

"You teaching water infiltration or are you conducting a field trip." Spirit snorted.

"What do you think Sempai." Stein laughed back.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to do both." Spirit commented thoughtfully.

"Just a small questioned why zombie raising? I mean lazarus is dangerous stuff, it can bring back the dead and it can make you dead just as easy. It seems like it would be a bad topic for the kids." Spirit questioned again.

"I think it's better to prepare people for anything than to shelter them from the truth. That way if dangers arise they are well equipped to handle the circumstances." Stein commented lack luster.

"There is a huge gap of training of what a Death Scythe suppose to accomplish and what is being taught in the school. Shinigami-sama shelters the children from the truth too much. I find it unfair they are told to give their lives not knowing why and what the circumstances are for." Stein added with a angry wipe of his face.

"There just Kid's" Spirit said again.

Stein slid into a pair of flippers and a diving mask. "Kids being used like weapons. Kid's like that don't have time to be sheltered, they need harsh doses of reality to pull them out of there fantasy world and bring them into the real world."

He held out a set to of snorkeling gear to Spirit who reluctantly put it on.

Stein motioned for the students to enter the water and gave them a quick lesson in snorkeling and swimming with and against the tide. Everyone was doing fine. They were having fun so he took the initiative to bring the students into the underwater cave system that would take them to the lazarus pits.

"Spirit since we have so many students I'm counting on you to help me make sure everyone is in visual contact at all times in the water. Were going to have to hold our breaths longer to accomplish this so I ask that you please eat this before going into the water." Stein was holding up a strange looking cube that looked like a sugar cube.

Spirit didn't bother to ask what it was he just popped the cube in his mouth and immediately regretted it. It tasted like rancid fish and scotch bonnets. He breathed fire for a second trying to calm down the heat in his tongue.

Stein popped a cube in his mouth and ran into the waves with his mouth open. Gulping up sea water greedily."It makes it so you can breathe in the water. You just got to keep drinking the water."

Spirit hopped into the aqua colored waves and filled his mouth up. God it was horrible tasting. Spirit had always heard that sea water dehydrated you and gave you well a horrible need to use the bathroom. He noticed Stein was happily sipping the foam off the waves. Spirit tried a little bit of the water and noticed it didn't have the fishy flavor oddly, it tasted more like beer.

He felt gill like openings form around his throat and ears and he gulped at the water again. Yep tasted exactly like beer with lime in it, like the little Mexican ones he and Stein used to knock back when they were younger.

Stein gave a full laugh, " I knew you would like it. Dos Equis flavored carbon cycle candy!"

"Reminds me of Spring Break in Cancun at the Mad Frog." Spirit said reminiscent quality to his voice. Stein was directing students into the cave. He sat on the ocean floor counting students as they bobbed in to the first air pocket.

He noticed Spirit was doing the same, he was damn near pushing student to the air pocket so there slow swimming would not hold up the group.

"You know we could have just got scuba gear." Spirit commented nasally his words came out in the water in a loud echoing noise and made large bubbles.

"Yeah but then I wouldn't have got to test my candy invention!" Stein yelled back.

"How the hell are we able to talk under here?" Spirit said thrusting the last student into the caves air pocket.

" Well I used pickled dolphin vocal chords so right now the kids probably think we sound like bunch of porpoises."

Spirit laughed and sipped in some more water. All he could smell and taste was Mexican beer. "Great candy love the flavor, wait did you say Test?

"Yeah haven't tried it out on human test subjects before! So far completely fantastic results don't you think. Oh you're not itching anywhere are you?" Stein commented back scratching his arm.

Spirit gave a worried eep noise and noticed some one was pulling him up by his hair. What the hell had Stein feed him. When was he going to learn not to eat things from Stein, even if they did make the whole world taste like free beer and mind you nothing taste as good a free beer.

Spirit raised to see his little Maka dancing between the waves like a mermaid and smiled happily. "OH she's so cute! Look at her pink lacy little swim suit and those long flippers, Daddy loves you Maka honey."

Maka scowled at him and pulled him into the air pocket. "Quit goofing off and making those stupid noises. The dolphin thing was funny at first but your embarrassing me!"

Spirit tried to make a noise to protest but found his voice only made a strange clicking and screeching noise that sounded like re-runs of flipper.

Spirit covered his mouth with his hands and noticed he was starting to itch all over.

"You ate something Stein gave you?" Kid said amused.

"Don't you know you shouldn't take candy from strange people!" Black Star said ripping out his snorkel.

Spirit let out another cackle of dolphin noises and sunk beneath the water embarrassed. Maka was mad at him again. He sunk back down and began counting off thirty students and began helping Stein move them into another air pocket. He crossed his legs and pouted on the ocean floor. There were fish swimming by and his daughter among them, it would have been great to have a underwater camera he noticed two pairs of black swim trunks pushing near either side of her and one of the boys taking Maka's hand. He saw the head move down into the water following after Maka and noticed Kid was staying way to close to his baby and his cheeks began turning red with anger.

"Wait where the hell was Soul?" Spirit thought looking around.

"Stein do you have Soul up with you?" Spirit said scanning the water and the rock formations, his weird dolphin like voice now sounded normal to him under the water.

"No I don't!" Stein yelled back.

"Stay with the students I'll go look for him." Spirit yelled turning back to the last air pocket the class had submerged from.

Spirit swam back two air pockets and noticed Soul was swimming near the floor where he was. He was looking at something in his hand that sparkled like gold. He watched as Soul got excited and waved Spirit closer and saw what the boy was looking at. Among a couple pieces of coral were scattered coins. Not many mind you but just a few Soul had a large necklace wrapped around his wrist and dove for another coin.

"Hey you" Spirit yelled grabbing the boy by the ear. "Don't do that, Spirit said pushing the boy into a air pocket so he could take a breath."

"There's treasure down there." Soul yelled excited. "Look what I found!"

Soul held up a gold necklace with a rather garish emerald on it surrounded by diamonds.

"That's fine and dandy but were here to study lazarus and you got separated from the group." Spirit yelled in a series of dolphin cries.

Soul gave a laugh than and patted Spirit on the head like a dog. "You been eating something from Steins candy jar?"

Soul turned one of his fingers into a small claw and drew a arrow on the cave wall. He slipped the necklace under his t-shirt and began snorkeling back to the group.

"God damn it even the Kid's know not to take candy from Stein." Spirit said with a bit of depressed dolphin noises.

"Hey flipper come on. We'll come back later since you're sick" Soul said snorkeling ahead.

Spirit and Soul caught up with the group who had stayed in the same position. Stein looked relieved when he saw Souls head rise into the small cave formation.

"We got one more dive according to Dr. Stein," Patty happily interoperated the strange dolphin noises.

Everyone looked from person to person curiously and wondered what the hell Patty was talking about. The students watched as Dr. Stein and Patty began submerging again and they did the same. This time Spirit thrust Soul forward and began the last push in the caves. The water was calmer here and had a odd smell, it didn't quite taste right either, it tasted less like beer and more like salt. Evidently the carbon candy was wearing off.

The students swam through the series of tunnels with ease. They looked like natural snorkelers now, all of them kicking off and gliding among the water is a strange fish like school. Spirit again wished he had his camera, noticing Maka and her team swimming together, Soul was with them explaining what he had seen back there and lifted a gold coin from his pocket. Showing the rest. The team seemed to ooh and aah with their motions and caught up with the rest of the students.

Stein was counting heads and calling out names taking his own version of roll, he twisted the bolt a tad bit tighter, and smiled happily.

"So did you all have fun?" He asked quizzically.

"The class broke into excitement chatter immediately talking about fish and coral."

"Good now that you have had your break, flip off the snorkeling gear and follow me. We're going to look at the Lazarus pools now."

Dr. Stein pulled out a couple of glow sticks and gave them a crack and the walls of the cave illuminated with yellow and pink light.

"Everyone I want you to touch the walls and the floor and feel the rocks. Your standing on top of a ley line right now, and its concentrated by the lazarus."

Spirit tried his voice again and noticed he no longer sounded like a porpoise. "I don't think we ever covered ley-lines in our day." Spirit said fingering the wall and cave structure.

"It would have been helpful considering many witches and spiritualist gather magic from ley lines." Stein said nodding his head.

"It's humming," Hiro replied curiously.

"Yeah feels like a set of speakers with the bass turned up on max." Soul said rubbing his hand against the ground feeling the vibrations between his finger tips.

"Kid ran his fingers across the stone," and lifted it to his nose. "It smells pine sol in here, but the rock formations suggest that there bauxite, permeating this cave."

"Why is that at all interesting Mr. Knowitall?" Soul spat angry.

"Because bauxite is worth a fortune considering it almost always contains alumina, I wouldn't be surprised if there was gold in the cave walls, usually the three are found together."

"Wait this is a gold mine?" Black Star said looking around like a anxious ferret.

"No it's not a mine because it's not being mined, it's just the rocks have the potential to contain gold." Kid spat back.

"Soul shifted anxiously with the large medallion under his shirt. He had seen gold to but not the un-mined stuff, it was odd there was stuff like that laying around on the ocean floor."

"OK before all you monkeys catch gold fever, I can tell you there is something much more valuable here than gold!" Stein said raising his voice over the chatty students.

"What's more valuable than gold." Black Star said irritably.

"How about everlasting life?" Stein said leading the student's into a series of caves with large bubbling pits of green lava. The thick lazarus glowed and illuminated the walls of the cave in green and violet.

The class looked around the pools amazed. It was humid down in this section of the cave. The rivers of green viscous fluid seemed to defy gravity and jump and shoot from pool to pool. The class pointed and oohed and aahed at the strange water display.

"Were not going to be down here long enough for the Lazarus to affect our nervous system, I ask that you don't try to give yourself a facial in the steam, I'm unsure of how it may affect your young bodies. Since lazarus is considered a taboo field of research, who knows what this stuff can truly do if you have prolonged exposure."

"Never stopped you before." Spirit said leaning over a pit and looking into the green liquid.

"We destroying this cave after we leave here to keep it from being found?" Spirit said eyes the liquid emotionless.

"Well Shinigami-sama didn't order us too and I must admit I'd really like get a few samples just for scientific purposes of course." Stein said clapping his hand together happily and fishing in a black bag to grab a couple of glass tubes and lone steel looking grip.

Spirit snorted "Same old Stein, Just so you know I'm not going to be your lab rat for this one."

"Oh no I already have two students for that." Stein smiled maliciously.

"Black Star, Soul get over here!" Stein said thrusting the equipment into their hands.

"Why the hell do we have to do it?" Black Star and Soul whined at the same time.

"I seem to recall a incident with a missing goat and skipping my class!" Stein cackled amused and Black Star blanched.

"I told you I had nothing to do with stealing that damn goat." Soul said pushing Black Star in front of him.

"Yes but I'm sure you knew about it, so witnessing and not coming forward is the same as abetting." Stein cooed happily stroking his empty cylinder.

Soul and Black Star looked back at the rest of their team who were finding their bare feet more enjoyable to look at.

"Come on give me your hand." Black Star growled and let Soul lower him down to collect a sample of the green fluid.

"Don't fall in." Stein said amused as the two pulled up the sample.

"Good now I need about twenty more of these." Stein said slipping a lid onto the cylinder.

Stein prattled on to the rest of the class about geology and zombie raising and the chemical compounds of lazarus until Black Star and Soul caught up with them. He watched satisfied seeing Soul and Black Star stretch their backs and shoulders as if they were aching after dangling themselves over to grab up pools of lazarus.

Black Star ribbed Soul and asked him to see the coin again, and Soul produced it.

"You think its pirate treasure?" Black Star whispered excitedly barely containing his voice.

"No I don't think so, it was hanging on stuff as if a current had pushed it in. If it is there sure wasn't a lot of it." Soul replied back.

Black Star had seen the coin Soul picked up and was itching to get back in the water to see if there was more. This was turning out to be the coolest field trip yet. Hell of a lot better than one last year's trip to South America to look for stupid anacondas for one of Dr. Steins experiments.

"This is a lot better than last year's field trip." Chrona said wearily.

"Yeah no poison spiders, snakes, or rabies infected lab animals chasing us." Tsubaki said wrapping her arm around the androgynous teen.

Tsubaki eyed Chrona's clothing choice. He/She had a old Victorian style swim shirt and shorts on that still didn't give the emotional teen gender away. When the hell were they going to find out what sex he was, it was starting to disturb her.

Maka skipped back to Chrona and Tsubaki and grabbed Chrona's arm.

"This field trip has been great." she replied happily.

Soul watched as Stein lead the class through another sauna field of lazarus pools. God it was hot down here, he looked over at Maka and grabbed for her hand seeing that for once Kid wasn't hanging on her. Instead Kid seemed to be amused with Liz bantering over the importance of keeping life un-altered from elixirs that could reverse ageing and death.

Soul pulled Maka to the back of the class, shooting down a path away from the group. It was perfect, If Maka wanted a boyfriend, what better time to get those questions out of the way than now. He popped a breath mint in his mouth and began to a land bridge that crossed the Lazarus.

"Look you can see it better over here." Soul said happy to be out of earshot of the class.

Maka peered over the bridge and gazed down into the murky green lava.

"You know I was expecting this stuff to be hot or smell like sulfur." She said peering down at the lazarus and the way it strangely rippled.

"It's weird how it kind zigzags instead of flowing like water too, I wonder where it's all going?"

"Want to find out?" Maka shot him a quizzical look.

Soul felt a large grin on his face, quiet and alone in a cave with Maka on a adventure. Yep that was the way he had planned it, and Maka had just willing leapt at the chance. He fiddled with the chain around his neck and ran the pendant between his fingers. He'd just beat Kid to the punch, he'd kiss Maka ask her to go steady and give her his necklace.

He seriously doubted Kid had gotten that far yet. With as nervous Kid seemed to get around Maka he probably hadn't made it too far with their relationship. Prince useless probably couldn't even lay a hand on her the way Patty was hanging around on her. Patty might as well have been Maka's body guard the way she was acting. Maka and the Thompson sisters came off more as a street gang lately more than bosom buddies, Soul thought.

Soul tugged Maka further into the cave and the two followed the flowing lazarus down to what appeared to be glowing green waterfall.

"Wow you can really smell it here, kind of smells like pine tree's and laundry detergent." Maka said in awe of the streaming Lazarus.

Soul fumbled with the necklace and flipped the chain over his neck. He watched the glow of the lazarus fill Maka's eyes and give her skin an unearthly green cast.

"You know you shouldn't stand so close to it you may slip in." Soul chided he had the necklace in his hand now and he pulled Maka back by the shoulders and latched her into a hug.

"You know I've missed you these last couple of days." Soul said nuzzling his face next to Maka's ear.

Maka took a leap back from him and slipped against the wet stone, she nearly fell into the lazarus but Soul grabbed for her and she toppled on to his chest being pulled away from the strange river.

Maka was laying on top of him now her nose was pressed to his nose. Soul took the opportunity to reach up and plant a kiss on her lips. Maka laid on him stunned and unmoving as if she had turned to stone and Soul lifted himself into sitting position so he could kiss Maka more.

She had some sort of lip-gloss on that tasted good, he also could taste the salt from the ocean mixing with it, it was candy flavored and Soul licked her lips and plunged his tongue into her mouth. Maka made no movement to get away, her breath was breathing into Souls mouth and his lips pushing down on hers hungry. Soul became self conscious noticing Maka wasn't moving or returning the gesture. So he tried another gesture he had seen in a movie once. He lifted Maka chin and kissed her again and again trying to wake her from the strange comma she had slipped into. Literally devouring her lip and flicking his tongue against her teeth.

Finally Maka seemed to regain herself and her eyes started darting around franticly. Soul felt as Maka hands went up to his shoulders and she pushed back on him gently.

"Soul why are you doing that." Maka asked terrified.

"You wanted a boyfriend." Soul said smiling he had a cocky grin on his lips. "I was just putting in my bid for the position."

Maka shook franticly, her stomach was in a knots. Her mind went instantly to Kid, inside she was screaming to herself."I have a boyfriend don't I."

She was confused now, Maka had once considered Soul as being the prime candidate for being her boyfriend. Soul was cool, musically gifted, intelligent and never cracked under pressure. He had been everything she thought she wanted but right now she just felt worried and sick.

Kid had kissed her, Kid had told her that he loved her, God damn it Kid had seen her next to naked this morning. She had snuggled in his bed last night, and now Soul was coming on to her talk about completely bad timing.

Her partner Soul the one she had been dreaming and praying for so long the guy she had thought was her soul mate. Her hands shook in anger she was confused and that's what made her upset, if she had a book she would have knocked Soul senseless right now but she had stupidly left her copy _of Serpents and Rainbows _in her back pack.

"Maka do you hear music?" Soul said trying to cozy himself back up to Maka.

Maka looked at Soul hatefully, the problem was she liked him. She had always liked him and still did. being with Kid hadn't changed that entirely, and this is what made her feel sick.

"I'm a bad girlfriend, I'm dating someone and I got kissed by another guy, my weapon no less." She thought inwardly. She grabbed at her hair and felt her eyes begin to water she looked back over to Soul and saw he was somehow blissfully happy, his foot tapped on the ground to a sound in the distance.

"You hear it right, it sounds like a violin." Soul said happily grabbing Maka by the hand.

He began pulling Maka farther into the cave in the direction of the sound he heard.

"I think we should go back Soul." Maka said worried.

Maka was trying to escape him, she didn't want to be alone with Soul right now, he was so damn happy and she just felt scared and dirty. "I'm a horrible girlfriend" she repeated in her mind again.

Why did this have to happen like this; she was happy with all the progress she had been making with Kid. Kid was trying so hard to be normal, something she didn't feel he needed to do but he was trying to behave that way just for her, she knew it. Patty had told her, what he was doing. How hard he was trying, it was flattering, and so damn sincere.

Maka heard the sound of the violin clearly now, it was a complicated piece and Soul just kept driving them further and further away from the falls. She couldn't even hear or see the waterfall now the caves honey combed and made all the passages look nearly identical but soul had some sort of urgency that moved him forward.

"Soul I think we should turn back." Maka cried out. Her voice was flooded with emotion she sounded scared.

"But I know this piece Soul said happily, my brother use to play it all the time." Soul said stopping as he came to a large cavern.

In the center was a young man in his late twenties, he had a decorative mask on his face that looked like it was from a masquerade ball or a carnival. His bow ran furiously and madly across the strings of the violin. There were other people behind him. They were working at something, most of them men stood around lowering large flexible black pipes into the lazarus. Maka could hear it now an engine up ahead, she watched as the pipes sucked up lazarus from a large lake and ran along the pipes to another series of caves.

"There's no way." Soul said in a near whisper he fell back along the wall staring in shock at the scene. He hung the necklace back around his neck, pushing it back in his shirt so his hands could be free.

"There stealing the Lazarus!" Maka whispered excitedly, hurry up and transform.

Soul didn't transform though he sat staring at the musician playing the violin.

Maka felt a familiar emptiness coming from the boy, he was hollow just like the witch from last night. No soul, she wondered. She then gazed upon the liquid like movement of witch from last night enter the cave. The liquid crashed around the woman's head revealing a full head full of curly blond hair, she had a black fishtail gown that seemed to be made of nothing but feathers. She watched as the witch from the night began slinking her way to the violinist.

"Your playing is beautiful no wonder your shows were sold out every night, you are truly gifted Wes." Murder cooed seductively.

Maka watched the witch draped her body over the violinist sensually her hands clawed possessively wrapping around the young man's neck and waist. The violinist gave no emotion to the woman and flicked her off of him.

"I would prefer if you kept your hands and mannerisms to yourself Murder, the master would not be pleased to see his consort draped over other men."

The witch stroked out her long blond hair and gave a almost musical laugh. Baron Marrow is more interested in Scrye and Bella Morte than me these days. Who can blame him though, when you have the wife of Death to play with and that damn, blond miester from Japan spread across his bed. Cheep goods like me can't compare to classy conniving bitches like them.

Murder laughed again darkly, she seemed less satisfied with her situation than she was letting on.

" I figure I'd just wait and let the two of them kill each other." Murder snorted.

"So Wes what are you doing tonight?"

"Please don't call me by that name, that was my name I used when I was alive there is only Rasp now." the boy called out emotionless.

"Ok Rasp like I was asking what are your planning on doing." Murder said glancing at her manicure. Maka watched the witch do a familiar flip of her hair, and dust her nails across her lips.

"I figured I'd spend some quality time with my little brother and his girl friend." Rasp said turning his red eyes onto Soul and Maka.

"That's ok with you right Soul Daniel Evans?"

Wire like cord shot from Rasp's hands strait at Maka and Soul. The chord wrapped about their throats and neck and flung the two of them into the nearest wall. Maka reached out to Soul to try to grab his hand the cord twisted and separated the two of them.

"Go and release the reptile Murder." Rasp barked out.

Murder left quickly and began running down the caves, her heels clicking against the cave floor. Feathers seemed to fly everywhere and her body broke into a swarm of crows.

"You know I never understood why you gave up music, to play second fiddle to this little girl." Rasp cooed to Soul.

Soul watched as Wes lifted Maka's skirt with the end of his bow and pressed the violin under Souls throat. Wes's face pressed against Souls cheek and his pine smelling breath licked across Souls skin. His skin felt like ice. He raised his hand to Souls chest and the needle like wire skewered Soul and wrapped around his body.

"Wes why are you doing this." Soul choked out.

The wire was cutting of his air, the pain made it almost impossible to talk it felt like he had just received a million shots all at once. All piercing different areas of his flesh. The pain made him sweat and feel nauseated.

"Isn't obvious, I'm dead. I thought all you meisters and weapons could sense that." Rasp said leaning into Soul more. His red eyes looked over his little brother lovingly, petting his face and his hair. His lips reached out and kissed Soul on the forehead.

"She's rather plain don't you think little brother. Not half as exotic as you or I." Rasp cooed his hands lingered about Souls face generously.

"I guess though you didn't care who you chose, you just wanted to get away from the spotlight, any one would have done after all." Rasp purred again. "But poor poor Grandma was so disappointed you just threw it all away."

"Soul transform now!" Maka called out. The wire had tightened around her throat so strong her fingers were the only thing keeping it from slicing through her neck. Her fingers trickled blood both red and black from them. Maka was fighting to stay alive, and Wes rattled on about Soul and there family.

Soul made a motion to transform and Wes ripped him away from the wall and smacked him against the stalactites in the cave. He dropped Soul to the floor and left him bleeding and gasping for air.

"Now what do I do with you?" Rasp said turning his attention to Maka.

He ran his fingers along her skin and smiled. "Look how angry you are such a determined look on such a little girl."

"Since your my brothers precious girl friend that he sacrificed everything for I guess I'll give you a choice would you like to die fast or slowly." Rasp sang out in his voice fluttered in a musical octave and his laugh turning more and more like song.

Maka tried to scream but the wires were cut into her too deep, her fingers felt like they were breaking like they were going to push through her own throat. She was starting to black out, she needed air.

"Oh I guess you can't tell me since your all tied up." Rasp said playfully.

"I'm going to guess that you want to die slowly and painfully."

"I figure that since you enjoyed taking my brother from our family for so long. Your probably a bit of a sadist." Rasp ran that bow up Maka's leg again poking at her inappropriately.

"And considering I'm a bit of sadist myself I know that most sadist dabble with masochism too, so I'll draw it out and go long and slow." Rasp purred.

He drew the bow up against Maka's inner thigh and used its strings to slice into her legs.

"See doesn't that feel good." Rasp purred.

Maka's eyes had grown dark she felt like she was drowning. Suddenly though she heard two clicks and a cascade of gun fire pouring down like rain. Maka felt the cord drop from her throat and greedily gasped at the air. She stumble over to Soul side just as the shots plowed into Rasp. Rasp's body was twisting in the shots, suddenly he quickly unwound the wire from both Maka and Soul to protect himself against the melee.

Maka heard Kid scream Sanzu Falls Shot, and the room filled with smoke and light. Maka could hear Black Star screaming now also. He was chasing after someone. She looked up to see Stein twisting a scythe in front of Soul and herself, he moved agilely blocking the piano wire that flung about the cave. His wrist nimbly moving about. Monster incoming Killik screamed as large iguana looking lizard came plowing past Rasp who was fleeing. The workers though they stayed immune to the mayhem they continued on as if nothing was happening.

The Iguana smacked the other students back with a whip like motion from it's tail, Killik and Kim took the brunt of the blow and were knocked back clear into the other cave. As a last ditch attempt Rasp shot out another flurry of needle like wire that blocked the other student's from getting in and collapsed the ceiling down around the exit he left from. They were sealed in now, with the workers and the two story high iguana monster.

Black Star was the first to dive in against the monster.

"I am the might Black Star tremble in fear against my great power." Black Star announced and caught the tail of the Lizard against his mouth flinging him backward so he splattered against the wall.

Kid was next, he looked like he was trying to make Swiss cheese of the Iguana but the Iguana just thrashed about madly throwing and clawing and whipping its tale around. The Iguana was getting closer now to Maka and Soul but Soul was out cold.

Maka watched as Stein tried to use his wave against the Iguana and again the Iguana used its tale to send both Stein and Spirit into a pinball like motion. The Lizard turned back to Kid and Black Star who were both combining their attack and Maka grabbed for Soul to move him farther away from the edge of the Lazarus.

Black Star landed an amazing punch smacked the Lizard into the floor, but it left a violent earth tremor and Soul nearly slid into the lake of lazarus. Maka dragged and pushed and the lizards tail came snapping her way. She closed her eyes and held her breath, hoping to land somewhere safe.

Patty watched in horror as Kid fired in the wrong direction. He hadn't seen Maka was struggling with Soul. Immediately she changed herself back from the gun and went running. She knew if she didn't get there quick enough Maka would be knocked into the Lazarus. She slid and threw her arms around Maka's neck. She felt the slide of her body changing back into a weapon. Patty felt her form contort to a smaller light weight gun, but there was something else a thin four foot long chain with a kunai like tail wrapped around Maka. It swirled around her protectively blocking debris from getting anywhere near her. Patty felt herself twist like a snake around Maka and noticed the chain that fell from the butt of the gun did the same. It was like dancing. Each time she moved the chain moved with her, it was a completely different experience than she always had with Kid. The chain swirled around Maka protectively as she grasped the barrel and the butt of the gun in her lithe little hand and made a wide sphere around her.

"Maka." Patty cried through resonance.

"I don't know how to fire a gun." Maka screamed back to Patty.

"We can do this Maka, You and me were the same. Were both angry at our parents, we don't wait we rush in. Our path is to run ahead Maka. We push when others won't move. We fight when others are afraid. Maka I promise you we can do this. Just fire and keep firing I'll do the rest."

The first shot went wild and knocked Maka on her back-side. It skimmed across one of the workers who had been gathering the Lazarus. It slid down the right side of his face tearing off part of his ears and shattering the clay mask.

Maka felt a feeling of chaotic energy wash over her and killer determination. She felt her sanity slip a bit and her stance went curved and wild. She held out the gun and fired again it caught another masked boy in the head, and he fell to the ground.

"I feel lighter than normal, and faster" Patty said euphorically to Maka.

"I feel the same like I'm faster somehow and stronger."

" Than lets fight you and I are both good at hand to hand just get in close and pull the trigger." Patty urged the euphoric feeling felt like it was lifting her up.

Maka began a bum-rush forward she nimbly jumped one bag guy rolled over another's back and went striking down on the tall willowy boy. She was away from the Lazarus pit now and she flung the gun at the guys face and grabbed it back by means of the chain. The gun fell back in her hand and she fired it three times in his chest. The chain let her leap back as the willowy boy came crashing to the ground.

"This feels great." Maka sang to Patty resonance.

"Pull the trigger Pull the trigger." Patty squealed back excited.

Maka felt her stance again go wild and all over place, she was shooting the iguana like lizard now luring it away from Black Star, with all the rounds she had fired off. Feeling unsatisfied with the amount of damage. Maka leapt forward and ran up the nose of the beast she began firing down the lizards back She slid down fast using her left foot to guide her as she skated down its scales. She wound back when she reached the lizards thrashing tail and sent the shuriken like chain into one of the lizards eyes. She spun the gun back around with the chain again and shot out the other eye, and the Lizard fell to the ground.

"Patty get your ass back over here so Kid can shoot." Elizabeth screamed out she was in human form and trying to step over a couple of henchman Kid had knocked out with his martial arts.

In Maka's mind Patty yell out "No"

And Maka laughed. "Go help Kid-kun Patty."

"But were doing so good, just you and me." Patty argued.

"I know but I want Kid-kun safe, and he and your sister needs you. Plus I need to check on Soul" Maka soothed.

"I understand" Patty proclaimed with a kind of childish pout.

"But I want to be your weapon again sometime I'm a thousand times better than stupid Soul."

Patty reverted back to her human form and found there really wasn't much left to do. She and Maka had taken out at least a two thirds of the henchman and the giant lizard and Black Star and Kid had taken out the rest.

"Way to go Maka way to steal the spotlight.." Black Star said irritably.

"Patty I can't believe you just abandoned me and Kid over there to take off with Maka." Liz lectured

"Sowwy" Patty giggled and shot Maka back a wink.

"What were you thinking." Kid snapped.

"That you were firing the wrong way." Patty said stomping her boot into the ground.

"Maka was in danger and you didn't even notice that the lizard was going to knock her and Soul into the Lazarus."

"Well she shouldn't have been in the way." Black Star said jumping in to scream at Patty.

"That was pretty reckless of you two you could have been hurt." Liz lectured again.

Kid had stopped arguing soon as he heard that Maka was in danger and he hadn't noticed. He felt really emotional for a second and wondered what would have happened if Patty didn't jump in, than it occurred to him.

"It's the Grand Design. " he began shaking and fell to his knees.

"BINGO" Patty shouted and clapped as Liz Tsubaki and Black Star look at Kid's strange behavior.

"The grand design?" Liz questioned.

"Isn't that when some ones time is up and then they only have so many chances to dodge death."

"What?" Black Star questioned looking confused. He looked at Tsubaki and found that she too had a confused look on her face.

"It's a Shinigami thing," Liz said with a huff.

"I can't reap Maka." Kid said curling up into a ball. He was shaking now, his face went pale. "No I won't allow it, I won't allow anyone to reap Maka."

"Kid-kun" Maka whispered. She laid her hand on his shoulder.

"What are you talking about" Soul said stumbling next to Maka with a severe limp there were small spots of blood all over his shirt.

"I won't allow Maka to be reaped." Kid cried rocking again he was curled up in a fetal position. His voice coming out unintelligible and frightened.

"Kid-kun I'm right here, I don't understand what are you talking about." Maka was kneeling on the ground her arms wrapped around Death the Kid, and she laid her head against him as he rocked.

"Its Maka you see, her number is up" Patty explained softly, the Grand Design is at work.

Writing and Ramblings... Not too important except the Haiti information.

Another 47 page chapter that took over a week to write. Well at least I was able to squeeze in all but a few scenes. As always long chapters mean crappy reviewing on my part. I waited a couple days after writing it to edit it for content and detail and decided this was as good as it was going to get without a beta reader.

Fact and Fiction

Ok couple of explanations. Originally they were going to Haiti, and then Hurricane Tomas popped up while I was writing the scene and I got really worried about what was going to happen to the folks down there that was living in tents, I changed the chapter twice to accommodate for the fact.

I've been through a hurricane before, and can honestly say it's pretty scary, and I cannot imagine having to go through it in a tent. Seven people died in this storm so out of respect for them I changed the location to Jamaica. All the numbers of dead and Kid's explanation about the Haitian quake was real. The fact that red cross does not want American down there right now that are not trained is also real.

How you can help Haiti!

On a civic note, Please donate blood. Right now red cross needs blood more than money and it's the one thing almost everyone can give and it doesn't even cost you a dime. Blood right now is important thing we can send to Haiti, it helps your community as well because with each pint they get they can take excess blood spun into plasma down to Haiti, to help with the sick and dying. If your wanting to see more of what I'm talking about Google Haiti and earthquake.

The shower scene as you probably could tell got cleaned up for the T rating system.

The zombie info about the fish. Scary enough was real.

All books mentioned in this chapter, good books once again real. You want to read a really weird book on zombies pick up the _serpent and the rainbow_, it's a MIT student that went down to study the zombie phenomenon in voodoo extremely unique even if it might be full of crap.

Ok fairy eggs recipe, also real. Boy are they a pain in the ass to make. Only Maka has a easy time making that recipe because it takes me about three hours to make them. If you want the recipe PM me.

Spaghetti monster, mentioned by Kid also weird but real religion.

Information about minerals aka bauxites and alumina gold being found in Jamaica very real it's the leading exports actually.

Did I know all this before I started writing, hell no. I do research and feel that real events time places and links to the world around you are important for writing. Well anyway thank you for reading,

I was surprised to find out that even though I have a total 4 maybe 5 reviewers, and crud load of people have bookmarked me and over 103K lurkers who are reading this story if you believe the hits break down the site panel displays. For you folks that did review thank you.

That is really flattering, I can honestly say at this point it's moving into more action and less fluff but that makes me happy. I have verbally introduced the major bad guys, and you will be seeing them actively in chapters to come.

I think by now many of you probably can tell where the story is going, but I'll try to throw a few plot twist along the way. As always feel free to rip me to shreds in review. I want to specially thank anyone that points out spelling errors , and error filled syntax. I love you folks. I also like hearing about what you like and dislike in story plot and want to send out a special thank you too Hachi-co and J-mai for their reviews I like to know things I'm doing right and wrong and you guys were nice enough to point them out.


	12. Chapter 12

"What is this about Maka falling to the great design." Spirit yelled plucking Kid up from Maka and profusely shaking him back and forth.

Kid just sort of stared at Spirit, he knew out of everyone Spirit understood the meaning of those words. He flung kid manically bombarding him with question.

"You know were not suppose to talk about when a humans life is coming to a end." Kid whispered.

"You're talking about my daughter, don't you think I have the right to know these things." Spirit screamed irate he began stomping Kid into the ground repetitively.

"I have been trying to guide her through it without anyone even realizing." Kid said with a growl he made no motion to move. Some how he felt he deserved this abuse from Spirit, this and a lot more.

"People shouldn't have to worry about when they have to die, it limits their potential and causes them so much grief they cannot enjoy the time they have left." Kid choked out blocking Spirits shoe from hitting his face.

Kid watched as Maka lowered her head, her bangs were hiding her eyes her shoulders slumped forward. Maka released a few words in a almost breathy whisper, "I'm suppose to die?"

Kid flicked Spirit off of him as if he were nothing more than a piece of spent garbage, and sat on his heels in front of Maka. His own need for self abuse was being overwhelmed by the aura Maka was giving off. She was frightened, contemplative and shivering, in the humid cave. Kid reached out quickly and snapped her hand from her and placed them in his lap, he raised her bangs and looked into her large watery eyes littered by unspent tears, and spoke quietly.

"Look around you, do you honestly think, any of us would let something like that happen to you." Kid explained sternly he didn't let his voice raise above a whisper as he scolded her.

"After all we have enough Lazarus here to bring back the whole city of Las Vegas." Soul said happily. "I don't see what everyone is so worried about.

Kid shot Soul a dirty look, but decided that conversation would wait.

"Life has turning points, twelve turning points, there random events that can cause your life to end or for you to survive. Currently seven of those events have happened for Maka."

"Seven." Spirit said frightened and collapsed to the ground.

"That means there are only five left, to decide Maka's future." Liz pondered out loud.

"Wait, wait, wait, where did the other seven events go?" Black Star questioned.

"Well the witch that attacked last night was one event. The lizard from a few minutes ago was another. There was a flock of ravens that we nearly dodged on the way home from school."

"The car crash?" Soul asked nervously.

"Yes that was meant for Maka, but we avoided it. The witch was accidental though, it created a turning point where there wasn't supposed to be one but it worked out in our favor."

"Wait I only counted four events."Tsubaki said checking her fingers.

"Maka nearly slid into the lazarus less than a hour ago." Soul added

"And two of the events were failed. Two of the antagonist can lead to another event." Patty added darkly.

Soul looked up suspiciously. "My brother," Soul whispered.

"My brother was the one that was attacking us before you came in. He was furious with me, and seemed to be hell bent on hurting Maka." Souls explained slamming his fist into the fallen rocks.

Quite a few of the rocks tumbled away and smacked against the ground and the others could hear yelling coming from the other side.

"Were all ok" Stein said yelling back over the pile of debris.

"So what do we do lock her up in a tower somewhere till all the turning points have passed." Stein questioned.

Kid noticed Spirit liked that idea a little too much and started smothering Maka against his chest. Maka struggled and could not break away. Well that was until Patty hauled off and kicked Spirit in the rear while giggling. Patty grabbed up Maka all to herself and knit her hands with hers giving Maka a reassuring smile and nod.

"No I think we just need to make sure Maka stays safe, the only place where there are no turning points is the never after, and I will not have Maka waiting in limbo just so we can protect her." Kid answered emotionless.

"Why the Hell not!" Spirit yelled grabbing Kid by the throat and proceeded on pummeling him once more.

"Because it's no way to live." Liz said worried.

Kid nodded his head as Spirit started another assault, it was like he wasn't even feeling the blows, so he just let the overprotective father fling him around. He couldn't blame Spirit he understood everything he was thinking, and agreed with him on nearly every point, except sending Maka to the never after. The never after would make Maka go insane, with boredom the only company she would have would be his father, and Kid realized more than anyone, that being surrounded by the spirits of the dead seeing nothing but death was hard to look at.

"Wait if we just have to endanger Maka's life to get past a turning point wouldn't that be pretty easy than?" Black Star said happily.

Maka looked up at Black Star as if a light had just come on. "Your right it wouldn't be that hard to do and since we would be in control of the situations, we could make sure the outcome comes the way we want it."

"Absolutely not!" Kid, Soul, and Spirit, screamed at the same time.

"That would be hard to control with the Oni around." Patty chirped.

"Oni bring calamity and can cause bad luck and misfortune that can end your life." Kid explained. "It's just too risky to try."

"So why are there Oni floating around Maka?" Soul barked.

"I don't know the answer to that question." Kid answered with reluctance.

Kid knew Oni had to be summoned but who was the summoner. He watched Maka slide in between his arms and he gave her a tight reassuring squeeze. Maka didn't look like she was ready to cry anymore, she didn't look happy either. It was like she had just crawled into herself, and Kid enveloped her in a tight hug to defend off any insecurity she was having, and Maka returned the gesture by gripping on to his waist.

Spirit hauled off in kicked Kid in the head to pull him out of his thoughts. He was tired of seeing his little girl gripping onto him so much. That was a job for her Daddy, he watched disgusted as Maka seemed fall into Kid's arms with a empty doll like expression, the only sign of life she had to her was how tightly she was squeezing Death the Kid.

"I want answers, and what good is all that useless knowledge in your brain if you can't tell me how to save Maka! Clear you head and think god damn you. How can we save my little girl." Spirit spat out viciously. He head butted Kids head nearly missing Maka.

Stein slid a scalpel under Spirits neck and gave him a threatening look. "He can't think if you give him a concussion Spirit." He's not Shinigami-sama. Well not yet anyways.

Kids head swam with emotions he felt like he was falling down a into a big black hole. Everyone was looking at him for answers, they wanted to know how and why, and he knew that he had already explained too much information about the grand design and death. He could feel the pressure of everyone's eyes on him. Souls eyes piercing into him questioning angry were the worst, he was wondering why Kid had kept such a secret. He felt a small warm hand grip his shoulder. He looked over thinking it was Maka's and found Patty smiling at him, she had on her victory smile, the one that let him knew everything was ok.

He rocked back on his heels and maneuvered Maka onto his hip. He had only heard one viable answer to the dilemma so far and he bit his lip not wanting to make the suggestion.

"Do we really want to put Maka in the Never after till this blows over?" Kid questioned, his voice filled with a no nonsense tone. This was business after all, he was changing the life of a human being, something that was considered taboo and forbidden to all Shinigami's because of its selfishness.

"Yes" Soul and Spirit yelled at the same time without a second reaction.

"NO!" Black Star yelled back at the two of them.

"Black Star?" Tsubaki questioned curiously.

Black Star gave a strong kick to the rocks and the collapsed tunnel became nothing but dust. His gloved hand wrapped around Maka's wrist and he dragged Maka away from Kid and up the path he had seen Rasp escape.

"Don't bother following us as long as you asses got that kind of bullshit in mind. It's Maka's god damn life, she can use or lose however she wants." Black Star proclaimed with his nostrils flaring and his finger pointed up at the sky.

Black Star tugged Maka forward down long winding tunnels away from their friends. He noticed Maka was looking rather lifeless a emotionless husk of herself and he got upset. He noticed the cave was opening up larger and larger and there was light up ahead. He flung Maka over his shoulder carelessly feeling she wasn't trying to move fast enough for him. He then bounded up a series of rock that took him up a vertical cliff side. He could hear the traffic now from outside. Automobiles were wizzing down the road at high speeds. Finally he was up the side of the cliff and to the top of the road. He plopped Maka down on a guard rail crossed his arms over his chest.

Again he took in her expression, Maka was hollow she had no glimmer life, fear, sadness or anger to her. She looked lifeless already, and her life was still yet to be claimed by lord death. A smear of revulsion crossed Black Stars face. She was giving up already.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Black Star yelled annoyed.

Maka seemed to awake from her day dream and shook her braids and loose hair back and forth to clear out the cobwebs in her mind.

"I don't know what you're angry about?" Maka shot back confused.

Black Star looked her over and noticed somehow all the piss in vinegar had been drained from her spirit. She was wringing her hands together, she was scared.

"You're going to let your father and couple of assholes throw you into the never-never, and not say a word to defend yourself." Black Star proclaimed wildly.

He pushed one his digits into her chest poking her to drive the point in. "Since when did you decide become all stupid and useless... "

"I'm not ready to die yet..." Maka explained in a breathy whisper. Her eyes became watery but did not shed the tears, she wasn't ready to cry yet; she was still in shock.

"Is having a boyfriend turn you into to some kind of stupid princess...that makes you content to stay locked up in a tower. I didn't think you liked the idea of some ass hole saving you." Black Star ribbed ruthlessly. "You never seemed to like it when Soul tried to box you in with that bullshit."

Maka's tears dried up, she was listening now. Part of her felt a ember of anger flitting across her stomach. What the hell did Soul have to do with any of this.

"I've never really even considered losing before much less dyeing." Maka rasped out in a tone filled with gravel.

"That's because you're not suppose to worry about dyeing idiot! Your suppose to fight!" Black Star gave Maka quick rap on the head with the back of his fist.

"I see you getting bullied right now, and I think your taking it because those idiots are all in agreement! They are trying to make you into a useless little girl, and what's pissing me off is you going along with it. Your just staring at them empty letting them decide your future for you. Only useless people do that."

Maka's cheeks flushed over, she could feel anger growing in her stomach. Was what Black Star said right. Were they treating her like some helpless princess. Her brain flicked over to one of her least favorite video games, and remembering the plumber happily bounding over bricks to save his princess. She'd always wondered why the princess never tried to escape, her mind wrapped around the answer, it was because that princess was useless that's why. She was a trophy wife of some dumb plumber.

Black Stars eyes flit over Maka's expression, he tapped her on the shoulder with his fist. And Maka punched him back on this tattoo as if she had been aiming for the star.

"Oh yeah it don't count unless it bruises right." Black Star said with a smirk and did another quick jab at Maka's shoulder, he did it just hard enough so it would sting and leaving a good size welt for a while. Maka punched his shoulder again twice as hard landing in the same spot.

Black Star sighed happily and gave her a smirk. "Don't let some dumb guy change you into something you're not Maka. You're not weak and you're not some prize to be won."

Black Star stretched himself out and leapt onto the guard rail. "You ready to tell em' to f*** off now?"

Maybe not in those words. Maka said sheepishly pulling on her long hair, she produced two twin pieces of elastic from her pocket and separated her hair pigtails.

"Well how about wasting another one of those so called turning points Death the Kid was talking about." Black Star hollered back with a cat call.

"You mean tempting death?" Maka said wide eyed, she finished fastening up her hair and looked over the high cliff side that Black Star had cleared in a matter of well placed jumps.

"Yep." Black Star said stretching his knees by jumping up and down on the guard rail.

"What are you thinking?" Maka asked cautiously.

Black Star pulled Maka into a embrace and slid her onto his back effortless. He took a running jump back off the cliff where he noticed students were starting to emerge from the cave. They were standing about on the beach below looking for the two of them.

"Yahooo." he cried feeling his leg tighten with the spring and the feeling of his feet leaving the ground. The wind twisted threw his medium blue hair raising it off his neck. He could feel Maka's breath on his shoulder it was warm and comforting until it twisted into a hair raising scream of fear.

It felt good, just like when they were kids, Maka was grabbing on to him hanging onto him as if she were receiving a piggy back ride. It made him feel strangely nostalgic, it felt right, like all the pieces in the world were just coming together in the right order. His mind was clearing as he fell, even with Maka's death grip around him, he knew this was the way it should feel.

Black Star watched as the small ant like figures became visible, Death the Kid was standing there staunch white shivering and pointing his finger. Finally the stress became too much for him and blood shot out of his nose and he passed out. Soul had his hand gripping his shirt trying to act cool, but instead was wading his shirt up into a ball over his heart. Liz was yelling, Tsubaki had her hand pressed to her forehead embarrassed, Patty was laughing hysterically at her would be brother, and Spirit was rushing around the beach with his arms out as if he was trying to catch them, and Stein well Stein was just Stein he was tugging on the screw rolling his eyes un-amused.

"Maka you got to see this idiotic expression your Dad is making."

Maka opened her eyes just quick enough to see what Black Star was talking about and smiled down at her friends and waved. He could feel her grip loosen on his back.

"Ok when I push you up on your feet you need to flip backward so you can stick your landing." Black Star yelled.

He twisted Maka so she could see his face, they were in a sky diving form and yanked her up by her ankle. Black Star was content to watch her land so he decided to take full impact on the balls of his feet. He knew this would make a impressive entrance he had done this move before and loved the way a crater formed around his feet. He watched Maka flip onto the sand gracefully her feet landing lightly. Then he made his own large dent that sent the sand flying. He could hear all the students coughing and yelling wondering If Maka had made it, and gave his own snort of amusement.

"Of course she made it you idiots, Do you think a Star like me lets his supporting cast fail." Black Star bolstered.

"You god damn idiot. What the hell do you think you're doing. You could have killed her!" Kid screamed he tackled Black Star to the ground, and launched him up with his feet.

"Totally un-cool Black Star!" Soul yelled he was looking for Maka in the cloud of dust and sand that Black Star had made with his flash entrance. Souls hand reached out and he grabbed onto someone but found it was Hiro, as the dust started to clear.

Black Star could hear Maka giggle, and Tsubaki and Patty do the same, but he had no time to dodge the melee of martial arts attacks Death the Kid was sending his way. He felt Kid's foot connect with his face, and his hand connect with his rib. He knew that move, Kid was obviously going for a throw. He pulled himself inward so he could gain a footing after Kid followed through and went sliding across the sand.

"Get a hold of yourself, before I decide to get serious." Black Star screamed.

"You dare, jump off a cliff with my girlfriend! Is your brain mush or something or did you not listen when we were talking about the Oni, the only safe place away from the Oni is the never after." Kid yelled arrogantly.

"You know I'm kind of getting sick of hearing you a Soul scream my girlfriend this and my that... Maka is her own damn person, and last time I looked this team was called team Maka that means she calls the shots!" Black Star called back mockingly. He let the top of his shirt cover his mouth. He wasn't angry but he would be damned if he'd let her see the satisfied smile on his face. Black Star was pretty happy right now, a cool entrance, he got to play the hero and he made the other leading men look like chumps. This was turning into a great F***ing day, all the action of a good movie. If he would have only been able to defeat the lizard like Maka and Patty had done than it would have been absolutely perfect.

"You can just forget that idea about having me hide in the never after were going with plan C!" Maka added disgruntled. She watched as her voice halted kid in his tracks stopping him mid punch.

"What's plan C?" Liz asked feeling she had missed something.

"Were going after whoever is targeting us. Were taking the offensive." Maka sang happily. She had seen Patty do this and realized it produced the desired effect often enough.

"And who came up with this plan Black Star?" Soul spat.

"No I did." Maka said cutting Soul to the quick. "It's my life and I'm not going to live it in fear of dyeing."

Black Star silently rocked back on his heels and shut his mouth. He had a smug grin on his face that he couldn't hide. That was the Maka he knew. "Princess toadstool could suck it!"

"But Maka sweetheart..." Spirit started.

"Can it you old leach!" Maka yelled back annoyed.

Maka turned on her heals and gave her best suck up look to Stein. "Dr. Stein, Souls brother said he was dead that he was missing his soul, that means he's a zombie right?"

"Well technically he could be any number of things. Was he a drooling staggering kind of zombie or did he seem to have a sense of self."

"He could still play the violin." Soul added emotionless.

Soul fidgeted a bit on his heals it was sinking in now, Wes was dead. His breath smelled like Lazarus. Maka had said he was without a soul. That meant someone had killed Wes. Souls stomach hurt. His relationship with his brother had been a love hate relationship. He admired his brothers skill but he envied him. He hated that his brother had put him in the spotlight so he was constantly compared to him. Though Wes was extremely good to him he could not return his affections, he could only see jealousy when looking at the young man.

Their last words before the encounter, had been in anger. Wes had questioned why he chose to become a weapon, why he was content with being with Maka. He had insinuated that Soul was acting out of a stupid boy hood affection. That he was in love with his meister and Soul had denied it.

He looked at Maka now and knew what Wes had said had been partially true. It had bothered him that his all seeing all knowing brother understood that before Soul himself did. That made it hurt worse.

"He's better at everything, even being a weapon. " Soul bit back.

He wanted to mourn to feel sorry for his brother but he was angry. Wondering who could have killed him, who could have gave him so damn much power, and how did he learn to use it so quickly. Souls jealousy and anger engulfed his soul . e would mourn later. Later when it was just he and Maka, and he would make the time when he could cry alone. It was more important to look after Maka right now, to concentrate on the familiar.

Maka sensed the change in Soul. She padded over to him and looked him wearily.

"We'll get him back to normal Soul. If he can think and move like that there has to be something still left in him." Maka said optimistically.

"Zombies do not have the articulation to be able to play the violin usually." Stein added rubbing his chin. He lit up a cigarette and began puffing away. Turning the bolt on his head.

"Don't tell me that shit Sid teaches first period, and your telling me he ain't a zombie." Black Star spat.

"Sid still had his soul intact when we turned him over."

Black Star hated when Dr. Stein brought up Sid's name as far as he was concerned that murder shouldn't even be allowed to breathe Sid's name allowed. Hell he shouldn't even be walking. He'd like to turn Stein into a zombie. He snorted to himself, Yeah that would be a good punishment, a eye for a eye.

"Didn't you say the ancient Egyptians had a way of using lazarus that tricked the people into thinking dead dictators were still alive." Tsubaki interjected. "To do that you would have to have a pretty articulate zombie."

"It would take a hell of a lot more than goats blood to pull that off, what your suggesting. Someone would need to be using Lazarus and a motley of different techniques." Kid added remotely.

"My brothers breath stunk of it, it smelled like he had been drinking pine sol." Soul added in a deadly tone.

"The witch had a Christmas tree smell too." Patty added.

"What witch?" Spirit questioned looking at Patty and Liz.

"A witch attacked guillotine manor last night." Kid added stoically.

"She was with Wes today too." Maka added, "We saw her face she was actually pretty beautiful."

"She said something else too..." Soul added. He looked primarily at Spirit for answers.

"We over heard them talking and the witch named Murder was talking about a blond meister from Japan going by the name of Scrye and some sort of power struggle between her and woman named Bella Morte. There was another name mentioned something like Baron Bone, or Baron ... ah shit I can't remember his last name."

"Bella Morte?" Kid gasped shocked.

"You heard of her?" Liz questioned.

"We need to get all the student's back to the DWMA." Kid barked at Stein.

"What worries me is that if there has been two attacks, one last night on guillotine manor, and another one on Soul's brother, that someone may be targeting the loved ones of DWMA." Spirit said quietly.

"I can guarantee you if Bella Morte is involved than there is more than just a grudge against the DWMA." Kid said viciously.

"Its unsafe here out in the open, at least if the students were at home they would have threshold magic to protect them. We need to notify all the love ones of that students they could be targeted."Kid added quickly.

Death the Kid's words were coming so fast he doubted anyone could understand his orders. It had been sixteen years since he heard the name Bella Morte uttered by anyone, and his heart still ached at the sound. He had buried that part of himself, believing her to be a traitor to have left his family because she could not handle the pressures of living in the never after.

He regretted now having mentioned Maka should but put in the never after to keep safe. After all if a powerful woman like his mother went insane and felt the need to run from his family. what would Maka do. His eyes lingered on Maka, she was holding Souls hand, no doubt to try to comfort him for the loss of his brother. He didn't feel jealous though, oddly enough. He felt sorry for Soul. It just seemed Soul was having on disaster after another piling up on him, he wondered how long it would take for the cool kid to snap and buckle under the pressure and he hoped he would be able to help him when it happened.

"We need to get back to the mirror." Stein barked at the students.

The students looked around lost not sure if they should go back into the cave or which direction to head down the beach.

"Were probably just a little farther down the beach, haul ass people it's time to go home!" Stein said pointing the direction he wanted the students to run. The students began picking up gear and moving like a well organized army, this sort of thing was routine. They would pick up everything leaving no trace that they were ever there.

"What about the Lazarus Pool? Spirit said pointing to the cave.

"We found them down there, they won't be stupid enough to try that spot again." Stein said enigmatically.

"Besides we may need it." Stein commented looking at Soul.

Soul and Maka were the first to make it back to mirror, and found a odd site. The students that fell in behind them looked up at the sky and noticed the wavering clouds, and thunder rolling in. There were carcasses of dead birds everywhere. Dead ravens and dead crows, littered the landscape. Birds still attacked each other in the air. The larger ravens were scratching at the crows pull at them pecking at them and flinging them into the broken mirror.

A crack of thunder in the distance made the eerie sight even more unpredictable. The students watched as lightning chained down on waves, and the current began pushing inward.

"The witch" Liz cried out.

"No those are just leftovers, she got away." Kid said taking in the sight.

"Why are the soul birds attacking them." Soul questioned to Kid.

"Because whatever she is, they want her Soul, and evidently its overdue." Kid said with a wry grin.

"Oh no what are we going to do they broke the mirror." Hiro cried out stating the obvious.

One of the ravens flew up to Maka and began dancing about her feet. It eyed her wearily and made a movement to get close to her, the bird jumped back when she tried to touch it. With a loud bang the bird fell over dead.

Maka looked over at Kid incuriously. "What the hell did you do that for."

"Quit playing with those birds tiny tits!" Soul said yanking Maka over to him by the pig tails.

"I guess it slipped." Kid said giving a crooked grin.

Kid noticed Soul was smiling at him knowingly, he was tormenting Maka, with a Indian burn she fumbled her footing over the beach, no longer paying attention to the crying birds as Soul tormented her.

Kid lifted his gun again and fired another two shots into the air. Scaring off the rest of the flock.

"Where are we going to get another mirror that can get us all back home." Jackolynne questioned.

"We need one as big as the one in the class room to dial back home right." Ox Ford added.

"We'll have to hit a store is all." Stein said drolly.

Stein noticed his stomach made a awful noise than and he belched. Spirit too was now looking a little green.

"I need a bathroom." Spirit announced loudly.

"What do you expect us to do." Maka said pointing at the beach bathroom up the hill.

Maka watched as both Spirit and Stein took off faster than she had ever seen them move.

"What's wrong with them." Tsubaki questioned.

"Sea water." Kid snorted in disbelief his laughter came out in chuckle and he covered his lips.

"Evidently Stein's formula didn't take into affect salt waters natural property." Harvar said with a sneer.

Ox looked disturbed, "So they're going to be in the bathroom all night."

"More likely the hospital as much as those two drunk," Harvar said unsympathetic.

Maka looked up slightly concerned. "Should we call them a ambulance?"

"Poor Dr. Stein" one of the female student's cried out. Her thumb danced over her cell phone dialing the emergency number.

Within about fifteen minutes a ambulance arrived and a couple of patrol cars. The police officers came down to the students to question them but everyone gave the same answer. They were learning to scuba dive and a current caught Maka's dad and Stein went in after them. It was a complete lie but students of the academy were use to making up such falsehoods.

Kid looked over the officers and caught a familiar glint of a piece of jewelry.

"What are we going to do with all these Kids there professor is in the hospital and it's not like we can call their parents to come get them out of the country." The EMT questioned.

"Maybe we can call the school." One of the officers suggested.

"Weathers getting kind of nasty maybe we should get a hold of someone from the American embassy."

"Yeah that bull shit about them being from a school in America isn't sitting with me. Half these students are speaking all different types of languages, to each other, and everyone seems to think it's completely natural. Looks like some brats from a united nations meeting."

One of the officers noticed a lithe looking black hair boy standing next to him.

"Excuse me officer may I speak with you a moment." Kid said singling out the man with beaded necklace under his collar.

The officer looked at the strange boy and his very English like manors. He sounded like the son of a aristocratic family from Europe. The officer was use to tourist but something about the boys eyes were unnerving.

"My friends and I are looking for a place to stay for the night, we'll be gone in the morning and out of your hair, and we would be willing to give a large fiscal donation to both you and your CHURCH if you would make arrangements to put us up for the night."

The officer felt unnerved, Who the hell was this brat and what did he know.

" I think you and I practice a similar faith," Kid said raising a long strand of beads that had his ornate skull necktie clipped to it.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the large man snorted. His ebony skin reflected in the strange looking silver skull. He recognized the beads but not the totem.

"You see are professor had a ulterior motive brining us to Jamaica, Originally we were suppose to go to Haiti to study the indigenous religions there but because the earthquake and then the hurricane he decided that Jamaica would have to do.

The cop looked the pale boy over again. His eyes, were wrong. They were spirit eyes. They were gold.

"Soul, Maka, Black Star, come over here a second." Kid called over waiving his friends to him.

The cop looked over the weird looking children. The white haired one had sharp teeth and red eyes, the blue haired one had a deadly cold stare one that resembled people the officer had locked up as harden criminals. The girls eyes too were unusual, bright citrine that dance with power. None of these children smiled. They look angry predatory. He noticed the girls hair was pulled up with two skull looking hair pieces that matched the boys medallion.

"You ain't kids," the cop said looking at the skulls that decorated all the students clothing.

"Actually we are." Kid said amicably.

"I know I have put you in a uncomfortable predicament. I meant after all its hard to practice on such a small island but today we had a rather unfortunate accident. I'm sure you saw all the crows and ravens on the beach, and our broken mirror, you see were kind of stuck here at the moment with no way to go home."

"What do you need to go home spirit?" The cop growled softly to the student.

"Well we need the other two spirits, ironically one is named Spirit and the other that looks like nzumbi is named Dr. Stein"

The policeman clamped a hand over Kid's mouth as he said the word nzumbi. He looked over cautiously to the other officers and EMT workers that were passing out blankets to the children, he thought were spirits.

"Kid-kun were not suppose to talk to the locals." Maka said worried.

"Are you nuts, he's a cop and a strait." Soul growled bearing his sharp teeth.

"Jeeze Kid even I know you don't talked to the civilians where you're out on the land like this." Black Star said amazed.

"I'll take full responsibility for my actions with my father, I assure you." Kid said uncomfortable. His hand was cold and he reached out for Maka's. The wind was picking up and he hoped this gamble would work.

"I will call the members of my church, and we will put you up for the night, If you promise you will leave in the morning." The police man proclaimed agitated.

"Good work guy." Kid smiled happily "I think we just scored us a place to wait out the storm."

"Why the hell would you tell a civilian about us?" Black Star questioned.

"He's a myal-men they are what we came down here to study." Kid said happily.

"Yeah but he's still a civilian." Soul said anxiously.

"Tell the students' that's were going to put on a little bit of a show tonight. I want everyone to use their powers." Kid proclaimed happily.

"WHAT!" The three students shrieked.

"These people pray to death gods and spirits for good fortune, they are going to be on their best behavior and honoring us in their own way for the services we perform. Its only right to give them a little bit of showmanship back for their efforts. It's not like they don't know we exist, this is a religion that focus around magic and healing and zombie raising and all the stuff that we are, they should be rewarded for their act of charity." Kid said happily.

"And this has nothing to do with the guy saying he could score us a mirror." Soul questioned Kid.

"Soon as he see's us walking back through the mirror he's going to know something aint right." Black Star added.

Black Star understood the plan now, and he didn't question it. If the voodoo guy or Obeah man or whatever they were called wanted Death Gods he'd perform. It sounded like fun to him. They'd give these civies a hell of a fright.

"I don't know a catholic temple that would open its doors this late at night to a pack of students." One of the EMTS questioned.

"My church, is charitable to children like these, we can take care of them. I'll stay here with the kids till we can get them over to it. Go ahead and leave."

"Thats a hell of a lot of kids. To shack up in one church." The other officer questioned reluctantly.

"I thought you hated kids Dominic," the female officer snickered amused.

"I can deal with older kid's ones like these, there not all smart ass little punks like we normally deal with." Dominic said shuffling the other officers into their cars.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you would go all protective and pious over a group of school kids." the female office said happily she gave Dominic a wink before getting into her squad car.

Dominic felt a smug smile cross his lips. His luck was already changing, strange how magic works. He looked back to the golden eye boy and gave him a smile. In his gut he could feel these unworldly children were not what they seemed. Looking at them alone had revealed that, and he scoffed at the stupidity of the other officers. Soccer team indeed, he doubted these kids ever even played with a ball. He looked off from the dark haired boy with the gold eyes. His hair was unusual, most all the students had unusual hair, a pink haired child was talked to itself alone on the beach. Another two girls in western attire cackled manically they looked more like tourist, but the voice of the youngest had a strange laughter. The bustier quiet young girl sat stroking the back of the hoodlum with the blue hair and the creepiest of the three stood off to themselves. He watched the red eyed demon and the amber eyed demon stand protectively around their green eyed witch.

He started dialing down numbers on his phone watching the strange trio keep to themselves. They weren't jovial like children, they were more like little adults, trapped in children's bodies. The idea sent shivers up and down Dominic spine.

The phone rang and Dominic heard a grainy voice answer. "hello."

"Call the congregation we have a emergency." Dominic spoke into his cell phone.

"What kind of emergency." The woman questioned "The police find out about us?".

"I'm watching the children of the dead frolic on Burwood Public Beach, they are asking if our congregation will send them home."

The woman on the other end of the receiver, let out a loud laugh. "Have you been drinking Dominic."

"You know I was always a skeptical even though I am a practitioner. I am no longer skeptical, there are about thirty children here, and there is a thunderstorm coming in. They identified me as being a practitioner of Obeah with just a look." Dominic said nervously.

"I have sent the officers that responded on the scene away, please send members out to come get these children." Dominic urged again.

"So you get spooked boy and now you believe. Dominic go home and sleep it off." The woman said with a laugh.

Dominic watched the golden eye boy walk up to him.

"Tell her we need a mirror is five foot wide by six foot deep." Kid proclaimed happily.

"She don't believe me." Dominic said defeated.

"Tell her to look out her window, the one that faces the graveyard." Kid said happily

He snapped his fingers and heard a series cries come from the other end of the phone.

"What you do demon?" Dominic yelled at the boy.

"Nothing I just gave her proof. That's what everyone wants right, proof." Kid said casually.

Marie yelled back through the receiver. "Ask that boy what his name is."

"It's Kid, Death the Kid." said a devious glint of laughter playing on his lips.

"I'll get everyone together." Marie called out and quickly hung up the receiver.

"What kind of name is Death the Kid." Dominic barked.

"One that describes what I am. I guess it could have been worse, originally my father wanted to call me Death Jr." Kid said happily.

He knew he was scaring the cop shitless and somehow the Shinigami inside his was extremely satisfied. Oddly enough it was the first time he felt his blood sated as he happily dangled his otherworldliness in the cops face.

"What is that other demons name?" The cops said pointing to Soul.

"Soul Eater." Kid said happily rocking on the back of his heels.

"What about the witch?" The cop said pointing to Maka.

Kid looked around worried for a second and noticed it was Maka who the cop was pointing to.

"Oh she's not a witch, that's my girlfriend." Kid said happily looking at Maka.

"What is she then." Dominic said sitting down on the sand.

"She's a miester, I guess in your language that closest I could translate would be grim reaper. It's not the correct word for it though. Some of the students call themselves technicians."

"You date a grim reaper?" Dominic asked confused. He was wiping his hands through his short curly hair.

"Doesn't it make your nervous dating a grim reaper." Dominic asked worried.

Dominic was having second thoughts. Either the boy was playing with him, or he was up to his ass in evil spirits. Either way his stomach was doing flip flops. He noticed some of the students were carrying weapons now. Strange otherworldly weapons and his heart did a little dance. Some of the students were also gone now.

"Were missing some of your spirit friends." Dominic said scanning the sands for the missing students.

"No they are just getting ready to go." Kid said comfortably.

"To answer your question from before though. No it doesn't bother me, the only thing I worry about is I might not be good enough for her, that I might mess up and not be able to protect her. Or that she's going to dump me flat for some other guy." Kid said slightly relieved to be talking to someone.

The cop snorted, "Not good enough for the Grim reaper, what exactly are you demon?"

"Figures the grim reaper would be a woman." Dominic shook his head confused.

"I'm a Shinigami. It roughly translates to Death God." Kid said reluctantly.

"Death God?" Dominic whispered becoming afraid. "So all those children out there..."

"Grim reapers and weapons." Kid said darkly

"Don't worry they are not permitted to reap human souls, as I said Grim reaper was probably a bad choice of words, and technician doesn't seem right either. I know think of them as weapons masters!" Kid said rambling.

"Give me a second to address the class and I promise I'll explain better." Kid said walking down the beach to the center of the students.

"OK everyone go ahead and transform. It will be easier to fit us on in cars if we don't have so many students to accommodate. Those of you that can fly don't! use the vehicles provide for us till we get where were going."

Dominic watched as children started disappearing. His eyes fell on the witch like girl and watched as the strange demon boy next to her transformed into a monstrous scythe. The girl hulked the thing over her should as if it weighed nothing. His eyes than went over the so called death god and noticed two blonds were approaching him. They disappeared in spray of pink light and two guns landed in the death god's hands. A similar thing happened to all the students. The blue haired boy had some type of Japanese weapon that Dominican didn't know the name off. Another girl carried a flame weapon, a tall boy had a set of massive fist, and another boy a long spear. The pink hair child was now carrying a huge bastard sword, its gangly appearance looked like it could barely carry the long weapon. All the children had a rather strange unnatural glow to their eyes in the dark.

Dominic heard the cars pull up of a rowdy group of men in trucks and watched the members of his church pour out from them excited. They laughed all the way from the car down to the beach, until they took in the eerie eyes of the children against the dark sky.

"HOLY Shit." The first Obeah said coming onto the beach.

Dominic noticed some of the men and women stunk of beer and was creeping their way toward them.

"Evil spirits." Another Jamican cried out, through her drunken stupor.

"Just spirits not evil." Dominic said unsure of himself. The religion of Obeah said that spirits like these children were neither evil nor good. They were just spirits.

"You mean to tell me the cops saw these kids Dominic and they just left." A old man said climbing out of a rusted white pickup.

There was a strong wisdom coming from the old man. Dominic had spoken to him a few times before but not often. The old timers always seemed more devout and knowledgeable even though there speak was often, slurred and full of accent.

"They didn't look like this a second ago." Dominic said raising from the sand.

Dominic had seen enough freaky stuff tonight he felt partially immune to it now. Talking to someone that called themselves a death god blowed his mind. Nothing after this would surprise him again.

"Form up into units and dived yourself into the cars." Maka yelled to the class.

Dominic watched the girl in the tank top heave her scything over her shoulder the blue haired gang banger and the pink haired child moved toward the amber eyed boy.

"Chrona your with Hiro!" Kid called back over his shoulder.

"Shouldn't we take Chrona and Hiro with us." Black Star questioned.

"I think the two of them might enjoy each other's company." Kid said softly.

Dominic was surprised to hear a note of concern in the little thugs voice. He was a lot younger sounding than he looked. His eyes were softer now, and he noticed the boy easily bounded in the back of the truck with a single leap. He reached down to haul his to friends up, but both Maka and the boy known as Kid had leapt up in the truck in the same style.

"Maka are you cold?" Kid questioned

He began unbuttoning his outer shirt before Maka could answer and slipped it over her bare shoulders.

"They act like normal Kids." Remy said taking in the three children huddling together in the back of the pickup.

"Yeah but they ain't normal kids." Dominic said sliding into the passenger seat of the truck.

"They are death spirits All three of them. The one riding with us is the leader." Dominic said proudly.

He was glad he was no longer spooked, it wasn't good for a cop in uniform to look frightened, even if it was spirits from beyond that they were transporting.

"So whatcha think Marie going to say, when she see dem" Remy said with a think Jamaican accent.

"The boy already gave her the freight of her life." Dominic said amused.

"I though you didn't believe in spirits that much. You said last time it was going to be your last meeting." Remy proclaimed back with a snort.

"Weird how the gods work." Dominic said.

"That boy back there the death god singled me out, off two patrol cars of cops and two sets of emt's he picked me. It was like he knew I was straying" Dominic said nervously.

"Which one is the death god? The blue hair one?" Remy questioned.

"No he's got gold eyes. That green eyed girl is the Grim reaper, that's his girlfriend." Dominic said nonchalantly as if he knew exactly what he was talking about.

"She's a cute little thing, never thought death would be a little blond girl, with braids." Remy said laughing.

"You should see her partner. Scary he's actually that scythe she's carrying. Boy looks like a demon. Red eyes white hair fangs. I think he might actually be a true evil spirit. The death god worried he's going to take his girl." Dominic gossiped.

"Seem to me they act like normal kids, if they be worrin' about stupid stuff like girlfriends, and being cold." Remy said with conviction.

"You saw them, how could you think they are normal." Dominic said vehemently.

"I didn't say they weren't spirits, I just found it interesting, them two boys are pawning over that girl like some pubescent teenager." Remy explained his eyes watching the review mirror his voice grew thick with slang.

Dominic turned around and noticed the two heads of the boys were carved into the little girls form. He didn't think that spirits could get cold, but the three of them were huddled together like they were freezing. Maybe he should have gotten them one of the rescue blankets.

Dominic noticed the rain was beginning to fall now, and soon the trees were bending to and fro. Luckily the old warehouse on the Warf was open and he noticed the first of the trucks were pulling inside.

The young passengers in the back hopped out of the truck before it had even fully stopped, and moved there way over to the fire in the center of the warehouse to get warm. Dominic didn't want to think about how many fire codes, his fellow practitioners were breaking. They through pallets into the center of the pyre and watched as the strange children leapt from weapon form to human again.

"Excuse me mister police officer. Can you tell me where we are compared to where the ambulance took my Pappa?" The green eyed girl questioned. Her eyes took on a even more unnatural hue in the fire light.

"Your Pappa?" Dominic questioned.

"Spirit, the red headed man." Kid explained for Dominic.

"Oh he's your dad." Dominic stuttered.

"Right now you're on Lower Harbor St. in Falmouth. Your dad is at Falmouth hospital it's not very far away." Dominic replied forgetting he was talking to some one otherworldly.

"You going to go check on him?" Soul questioned.

"Not yet, I want to see the class get settled first, I think it would be best if the Spartoi showed a united front right now."

Dominic watched as the silver haired demon wrapped a large necklace around the girls neck. He looked at her possessively, and Dominic knew why the death god was unhappy.

"The gods they mimic the living." Remy said pointing to the two.

"Those two ain't gods." Dominic said with a snort.

"It's a term of speech junior." Remy said peering at the children.

Kid raised his voice over the crowd "Everybody calm down."

The students turned their faces to Kid with a look of doubt on their face. "Were going to spend the night here, in the morning Spirit and Dr. Stein will be back and we'll head back through the mirror to the other side."

There was a murmur from the adults. Kid had anticipated that, he had chosen his words perfectly to push the fact the students were all more than just ordinary humans.

"How are we going to stay here it's a warehouse." Kim questioned.

"None of us have eaten yet either." Killik added.

"Hungry Souls!" one of the Obeah woman whispered frightened.

A tall black woman, called out over her congregation, she was dressed in long white skirt and had black tattoos over her body, her head was wrapped in bright red and yellow African head scarf, and she had sea shell and bone jewelry hanging from her neck. "I've all ready thought of that."

"I take it you are Marie." Kid said with humorless snort.

"We got blankets and food coming, and we got your mirror coming too." Marie said show a strong front to the children.

For Marie it was important to show no fear in front of the spirits, she was head of this congregation and her teachings taught her to embrace deaf. She had called up the women first and told them to bring a pot of food for offering to the spirits, She told them to bring blankets and bread so they could decorate their alters and show their offerings to the spirit world. It was easy for her to pretend these children were just children, they looked and acted like normal kids. Even if their eyes and strange games were scaring her congregation. The musical members of her sect began pulling out the instruments and she watched happily as the food began arriving it would be one grand party tonight to send the spirits home. She would see to it.


	13. Chapter 13

**New Chapter!**

**Ok Important authors notes: This is a new chapter. But as of tommorow Chapters 1-12 will be edited into smaller portions which is going to expand the work of this story. I have a beta reader finaly that is nice enough to help me on the story and one of the great reviewers pointed out my chapters gave her eye strain because they are too long. Frankly I agree and think she's right. I want to go back through the story and clean up what I have so far. The following chapter after this one will have a lemon in it. I'm going to make it optional, meaning I will break it off into another story and give it a link. This way the story can stay T rated, but all you lemon thirsty girls and one lemon thirsty guy can enjoy what you have been waiting for. **

**So as I said big update and clean up on the story Expect the chapters to go up considerably but it might not have new content, for consistency sake I will try to alert you up here with in the authors notes about whats new. So you can scan through the documents quickly to find the most recent chapters. I am listening to all your comments, last chapter had a bunch of errors, I will be correcting them, a chapter at a time, I have fixed them but I have got to give the beta reader time to catch up on the story. **

**If any other folks would like to help me clean this thing up your welcome to help too. You will get chapters first following the re-ordering and the clean up of the story. For my lurker buddies, I'm begging you to please review. I need your help too. Reviews mean active interested readers, and frankly the more reviews I get the more psyched up I am to release a chapter. Lately I've been seeing a few loyal reviewers, and I thank you for reviewing each chapter. Twins this mean you! Anyway, as I mentioned story edits are happening. I will write the word new at the top of the chapter if it is in fact NEW. To help folks figure out where they left off.**

**If anyone has a better idea on how to do this so I don't alienate the readers I have please write in and tell me. I really don't want to lose the chapter reviews I have. There has to be a better way of cleaning things up than what I have planned, but right now I'm not seeing it. So please post comments and ideas in soon, before i have to hit the big delete all button. **

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It had been hours since the party was started. Kim Diehl was the bell of the ball tonight, the Tunaki witch had been healing nearly everyone in town, from things as small as tooth aches, to tumors. Everyone was happy. Black Star had his seat in front of the buffet table. Killik and Harvar were dancing around the fire with Patty, Liz and the shadow men. Soul was learning a new instrument from one of the Jamaican drummers, and that left Kid and Maka sitting on the side line bored and watching everyone else have fun.

"Why aren't you having fun?" Maka said nudging Kid with her shoulder.

She had a series of scarves wrapped around her to keep the clammy air from breaking her skin out in goose flesh.

"I have a lot on my mind tonight. I'm still trying to think how the hell were going to save you, and where the witch is from and..."Kid was cut off as Maka put a hand to his lips.

The storm was really coming down now and you could hear the wind slapping the palms against the tin building.

"I want to get a better look at the storm. I've never seen a tropical storm before and the lightning looked really interesting the way it breaking into the sea." Maka found Kid's finger tips from his lap and motioned for him to stand up and he followed her away from the class.

No one notice the two of them slipping away. Maka lead the way out one of the open doors and under the eaves of the warehouse where they were sheltered from the rain but could look out over the ocean. Luckily for the two of them the wind was blowing the opposite direction so the two stayed relatively dry.

A crash of lightning and thunder hit instantly, leaving a boom of noise in Kid's ears.

"It's not safe out here we should go back inside." Kid said walking back to the entrance.

"No wait." Maka said wrapping her arms around Kid's neck.

"Look at the sky, look at the way the lighting is webbing across the ocean. Isn't it beautiful." Maka quivered excited.

Kid's eyes fell on the ocean, and the high waves and he didn't understand what she was looking at. The waves were crashing in turbulent disorder, the lightning overlapping each other in the sky forming spider webs of light, the noise of the thunder echoed in his ears. It was dangerous, maybe beautiful but Kid just kept seeing all the little things that could kill his beloved fling about the dock and each cracking of the palm trees made him all the more antsy.

He felt Maka jump a little bit at a unpredicted crack of thunder and felt her body move into his. She was happy almost giddy watching the storm.

"I love the smell of the rain, the air here smells so salty and the energy, doesn't the lightning kind of remind you of how the ley-lines felt." Maka added cheerfully.

"Magical." Kid muttered looking down at Maka.

Kid wasn't looking at storm anymore, just her and how closely their bodies were pressed together. Maka smelled different tonight, he could smell a mixture of his own cologne on her. It was kind of a intoxicating feeling being pressed to her like this. Smelling his own scent clinging to her body. It was familiar and welcoming.

Kid eyed Maka's hair it was separated back into its normal pig tails and his short sleeve shirt hung loosely around her body, he concluded, that his shirt was the source of his cologne smell. Kid became overwhelmed with the need to kiss her to bring her close and try to find her own scent mingling with his. He leaned down close and inhaled her hair and smelled the citrus scented shampoo mixing with the salt of sea. It had a almost savory smell to it both sweet and salty. He wondered if the salt of the water gave her skin a similar taste. The thought of licking a trail down her neck was enticed him.

Maka looked up and noticed Kid's faced buried in her hair. He was acting like some overgrown cat rubbing his cheek against her, his hand wandered around the back of her neck and she felt his silky fingertips run over her skin. She was getting use to the unnatural way Kid's skin felt, that strange silk like feeling that textured his whole body, she finally remembered where she had felt that texture before it was like running your hands down the line of a kimono. Strong and unyielding silk, that had been spun thick to hold its lines without wrinkling.

"You're supposed to be watching the storm with me." Maka claimed, gathering his spare hand in hers.

"I find you more interesting than the lighting and rough water." Kid explained pulling her clasped hand up to his cheek.

Kid rubbed his face into her open palm as Maka closed her hand he ran his mouth over her fingers. Kissing them and running his tongue down the side of them. Another scent clung to her hands cocoa butter, she must have worn sun block today. It didn't taste particularly sweet like he was hoping but it definitely smelled good. Her hands were warm and kid could taste the sun that kissed her skin. Sometimes having otherworldly senses were amazing. Now was one of those particular moments. Kid wrapped his arms around Maka and felt her reluctant to move into him. It was unusual she was normally more willing he thought.

"Something happened today." Maka said sadly.

"Something other than Lizards, and Souls brother trying to kill you?" Kid questioned raising his eyebrow but still not willing to release Maka from the embrace.

"Soul he sort of... we sort of kissed." Maka stammered reluctantly, her eyes trailed away from Kid and back down the warped dock boards.

"I'm sorry." Maka added quickly.

Kid released Maka with reluctance. "Are you sorry because your leaving me or are you sorry because it happened?"

"I'm sorry because I'm a bad girlfriend. He just hauled off and kissed me, I didn't even realize what he was doing." Maka rasped, out.

Maka felt a frog form in her throat. She wanted to cry but she couldn't. She looked at Kid and found no trace of emotion on his face. It looked like he was shutting down.

"He kissed you." Kid questioned quietly.

"Yes." Maka croaked.

"Did you like him kissing you more than you like me kissing you?" Kid tried to reason logically, he was preparing himself for the worst. A knot was forming in his stomach he was glad he hadn't eaten today since breakfast or he would have probably vomited right now.

"No..." Maka said softly. "I know it shouldn't have happened, I'm sorry..."

"No meaning you like him better or me." Kid shouted, he couldn't understand what Maka was saying. It felt like she was speaking another language to him. The ocean was slapping against the shore to loudly he could barely even hear her.

"No it felt wrong." Maka said taking a step away from Kid she felt the need to run. To run anywhere as long as she didn't have to explain this to Kid.

Maka watched as Kid body language completely relaxed. He went from extremely rigid to barely able to stand.

"You thought it felt wrong." Kid repeated relieved.

"I know it shouldn't have happened..." Maka added worried. Her foot took another step back and she planted her weight hard on her heal. She was ready to sprint sure she was in a strange country but she knew there was a hospital a couple blocks from here, she could just pretend she just wanted to check on her Pappa. The thought of leaping into her Pappas arms sounded kind of good right now. She knew her Pappa wouldn't judge her, she knew he wouldn't be angry with her, that type of unconditional love was sounding better and better all the sudden. It was safe. Safe and secure.

"Maka did you even kiss him back, or did you shut down like you did on me the first time?" Kid asked bemused.

Maka didn't understand the amusement in Kid's voice. He sounded like he was about ready to laugh. "I don't know what I did. I don't really remember things; it kind of happened fast, all the suddenly he was everywhere and than he was yanking me down following that violin music." Maka said angry. She wasn't quite sure if she was angry at Kid for his tone or at Soul for getting her into this situation.

"You shut down." Kid proclaimed with a big smile, his eyes were twinkling. He rubbed his stomach and gave a little bit of a snort of laughter. "I bet you didn't even kiss him back."

"Shut up!" Maka yelled angry.

Kid darted up and snaked his arms back around Maka, he sensed she was about ready to run but didn't know why. It was easy enough to stop.

"It doesn't count Maka. There is nothing to be worried about." Kid whispered into her ear.

"What do you mean it doesn't count." Maka said confused, she rubbed her pointer finger against her cheek. She couldn't meet Kid's eyes. He was weirdly calm, and seemed happy instead of angry. He was giving off all the wrong signs.

"He kissed you, you didn't want it, you didn't return it. It doesn't count, It wasn't a real kiss." Kid explained his logic to Maka. It's like bumping into a stranger and accidently smacking faces together. "That's not a real kiss."

"Well we did sort of fall." Maka thought out loud. She didn't understand Kid's logic but she was thankful he didn't seem mad in the slightest.

Kid wagged a finger at Maka's face, "One sided kisses don't count, remember our first kiss, you blacked out on me and we had to do a do-over, to make it count right." Kid rattled smugly.

Kid was happy knowing Maka's secret, that she just sort of turned into a statue if she wasn't prepared for the romantic advance. He used Maka's own weird response to negate the fact Soul had tried to up the ante in their little game. Maka had said it felt wrong, and that's all he needed to know. Soul had screwed up and caught her off guard, and was probably lucky he didn't get slapped senseless.

Kid's face fell into a Cheshire grin, should he tell Soul it was game over. He looked at the bundle in his arms and decided against it, no that would be wrong they were friends after all and even though Kid was slightly jealous of Soul he would not rub it in his face though he was certain if it were Soul, he would do the exact opposite.

"Maka I wouldn't get angry with you if you chose him over me. I understand in the long run he is probably the easier choice for you. After all Soul is normal, and I'm a handful of psychology terms wrapped up with supernatural bullshit. I guess in a way I might be too high maintenance for anyone to accept. What I'm trying to say is, no matter what happens, I love you, and I want your happiness before my own. "

Kid took a deep breath in, that smell of his was still clinging to her, it was getting stronger as they embraced. Maka laid her head into Kid's chest he felt the relief wash over her she was nuzzling him now.

"Your not mad." Maka questioned.

"No I know about Souls feelings and I expected him to pull a stunt like this." Kid explained.

Maka looked at Kid alarmed. "How did you know when I didn't even know."

Kid thought back to the lunch room and how aggressive Black Star and Soul had been toward him and decided not to explain that the three of them had shared mutual feeling for the same woman. The woman that he was currently holding in his arms. "It's not important."

"There is something I want to talk to you about. You need to know some things on what expect if you decide to stay in a relationship with me." Kid whispered softly pulling Maka up against the building.

The wind was changing directions now and the reeds were bowing in the opposite direction they did before. Kid blocked the wind with his back and leaned against Maka. He was glad he couldn't feel the elements it was perfect for him to block the weather from her. He crossed his arm above her head and hid Maka in his own shadow.

"Belle Morte, is my mother she went nuts trying to live in the Never After with my most honorable father. If she has anything to do with the attacks on shibusen things will become very dangerous."

"Why do you think she went crazy?" Maka questioned quietly.

Kid rubbed his brow, talking about his mother gave him a headache and it was not something he liked to do often. His mother was a embarrassment to the Shinigami the way she did things had disgraced him and his father.

"I think it was a mixture of things that pushed her over the edge. The lack of consistency in the way time flows in the never after. Being surrounded by death all the time, reaping souls, managing the dead all those things were just too much for her. My mother's name means beautiful death, but the way she chose to reap was just the opposite, she was wicked and cruel. She enjoyed watching people suffer from disease. Belle Morte liked her reaps to spend long time agonizing over dyeing so she did not have to return to the never after quickly. In the end she became a traitor, no better than Asura, she fled when father found out about her miss doings. This being said, she was a good mother to me even though she did this horrid atrocities while I was not around or watching. I only found out about it by accident, and I have had time to develop my own opinions ones that are different from my fathers."

Kid had seen his mother spread disease to villages. Breathe toxins into water, and kill by simply contaminating the air with the twirl of her fingertips. Belle Morte brought the worse type of death to people, slow death, death like cancer that made people rot from the inside. Death like aids who could rage indiscreetly to the loved ones of people unknowingly. She did not let the grand design kill people when she reaped she chose the death for her victim.

Kid realized a long time ago his father did not see the wrong in this. Death came to everyone in many ways and his father style of reaping was indiscriminate and emotionless. Because Shinigami-sama reaped souls without emotion, and without prejudice he could not understand what his wife did was wrong. He simply missed her, and wanted her to come home, to be with him and end his never ending loneliness.

Kid began speaking again his voice was low and filled with emotion. "My mother does not simply reap human souls, she tortures them and my father is incapable of stopping her because he is still in love with her. His way of looking at the world is different the way you and I see things. His mind set reflects the belief that the _moment you are born you begin dyeing, it's just a matter of when_. So he doesn't have the compassion to bring a quick death to the sick, and he doesn't see the wrong in my mother's ways. I blame it on his lack of socialization with real humans."

"But my father is with Shinigami-sama all the time." Maka questioned.

Kid was silently thankful for that. His personnel belief was that Spirit was probably the reason his father had mellowed out through the years.

Kid looked down at Maka and tried to find the words to explain. "Yes, Spirit is with father a lot but they are too like minded on the subject of their wives. Spirit is so blindsided by his love for Kami that he finds no flaw with her. Even though he cheats, he still sees Kami as the only one. The same as my father is with my mother. If Spirit would truly look at their relationship and the way your mother has up and abandoned the both of you I think he would see her true flaws, and the reason he keeps looking for something more, the true reason why he felt the need to cheat on her."

The palm tree's bent back in the wind and made a loud cracking noise as they violently rocked forward, it made Kid turn to examine the tree so he didn't see the angry expression that flashed across Maka's face.

Maka felt a little angry at Kid's statement. Kid was defending her father's cheating by saying her mother was partially to blame also. That there relationship was broken because both was at fault and Maka didn't agree with him. If her father had loved her mother so much why the heck did he feel the need to cheat. Maka weighed Kid's last statement in her mind. He wouldn't have cheated if everything had been fine with their relationship. Her father had been missing some element that her mother couldn't provide for him. Maka wondered what that could be, and decided it was not the time to think about her broken family right now. Kid was explaining himself and she should be paying more attention to him. His dark tone and attitude lead her to believe that Kid really needed someone to talk to right now, and who better than his girlfriend could console him.

Kid took a deep breath and sighed heavy. "I am planning on taking over the Never After from my father. He won't be able to leave Death City but I believe now that Asura is free and his power is not needed to keep Asura sealed away I can replace it with my own. It is my intention to bring more balance to the way people die. I want it to be more humane, less brutal, less painful. "

"But how can you do that?" Maka questioned.

"I will need to leave part of myself in the Never After. I will be stuck in father's chateau, and father will be able to take some time off and regain a sense of humanity again."

"Kiddo." Maka mouthed frightened.

Maka didn't like this idea, Kid-kun was talking about locking himself away it the world of the dead was no way to spend a life.

"But you're not dead Kid-kun. Why would you stay in the Never After." Maka voice quivered at him full of emotion.

"No but I'm immortal, and other than my parents and myself. There is no one else that can do it." Kid added darkly.

"You understand, that I'm not going to age much more right." Kid questioned his eyes were hopeful, he still had to explain to Maka what stepping outside death's natural order meant for Maka as well.

"I think I sort of understood that. I know because time doesn't run consistent in the Never-After your probably a lot older than you really appear." Maka voiced.

Kid rubbed his hand over Maka's hair and looked down into her eyes. He had hoped she would understand that. Kid felt the needs of a man because he was in fact older than her, he wanted more than he probably should but he couldn't help feeling attracted to someone that appeared the same age as he did. Yes physically he was a young boy and he had all the hormones and juvenile desires any teenager had, but mentally he was much older. Kid guessed if he had spent his time in reality instead of the nether world he would probably be close to thirty or maybe even forty.

"When I go into the never after and assume my role as death, I will completely stop aging. I'm telling you this because this is what happens when you step out of the boundaries of the grand design. If you live through this ordeal, if we change your path, the outcome of your life. You will stop aging as well. It's a big deal, and something you might want to consider, before we go wasting, all your turn points doing stupid things like what Black Star did with you today."

"What were you planning to do originally. Before all this mess with the lazarus came up." Maka questioned.

"I was planning on helping you step away from a few events. Normally the events don't happen this close together, I think primarily that the grand design is being altered somehow by Belle Morte maybe its malfunctioning. I have come to the conclusion that the Oni that were gathering around you are probably my mothers or most likely one the members of someone who is helping Rasp and Murder." Kid admitted reluctantly.

Kid took Maka's face in his hands and looked deep in her eyes. "I have a confession to make to you. I don't want to reap your soul, I don't know if I could actually do that. I know that sounds selfish of me but right now I have been doing most of the human soul reaping since father cannot freely move about. Mother is still reaping as well but since we don't know when she will show up, I have been assigned most of the work."

"This is the reason I suggested that you camp out in the netherworld, I don't want to do it Maka, I'm in love with you, and for some reason, when I'm with you I just want to break every rule in the book just so I can ensure we can stay together... I hate being apart from you... even for a little while, but at the same time I know, the Never After is the safest place for you. If you leave for the netherworld, it won't be permanent like it will be from me, you can spend time with father, lay around and read, cook in that big kitchen you wanted to play in. It won't be too bad, long as you can keep your mind busy there should be no after effects. I can tell honorable father to make the hours go by fast. You'll be safe, and the turning points won't come while you're in there. When the rest of this blows over you can come back out and go back to living a normal life. You'll still be able to age and do normal things."

"What if I choose not go into the netherworld." Maka said gruffly.

Maka was remembering what Black Star had said to her. About not being afraid of dying about being strong and not being bullied around. She didn't believe Kid was trying to bully her right now, he was just frightened and trying to find a way to keep everyone safe but the idea just didn't sit well in her stomach, it felt like running away. Like dumping all the problems on her friends, why she checked out of the battle.

"If you waste all your turning points, and they go correctly. Then you won't age anymore, you will be in the same predicament that I'm in. You will live outside the normal boundaries of death and only a supernatural force will be able to kill you. I'm not going to tell you that it's all wonderful like all those vampire books you read, its monotonous, and boring, you're going to have to watch everyone you love grow old and you're going to stay the same. I really don't want to see you end up in that type of lifestyle. I can tell you from experience, this is probably one of the main reasons my mother went crazy. Not Soul or Black Star, or Tsubaki or Patty and Liz will be able to walk that path with you, you will have to watch them all die Maka, they will get old, have families, and die and you, will still look like a little girl. If we fail on your turning points, than your life is forfeit and you will die in the fashion the grand design intended for you to die in."

Kid let out a huff of breath. "You can see why I'm pushing for you hiding out in the netherworld now, that's why your father wants' that too. He wants you to have a normal life, to have grand children and get married, and grow up into a beautiful woman."

Maka thought quietly to herself. This was a lot to take in, being immortal in the fantasy novels had always been so glamorous. It was hard to pry the idea from her head. Watching her friends die though while she would be unable to move on sounded horrible . It even sounded worse than the final outcome of just simply passing into oblivion by herself.

Maka understood Kid's point of view but she was thinking of something else entirely. No matter what happened to Maka Kid was going to have to experience all that even if he didn't take over the Never After. He was already immortal, he was already doomed to watch all of them die, it had just been by some trick of fate that Kid and Patty had noticed Maka was having turning points happening and began maneuvering her around them.

She looked up at Kid's sorrow filled eyes and noticed his distress. He was already worrying about having to take the souls of his friends. Wondering if he could do it or not, worrying how it would feel, and she could sense he was afraid. In a way that was no way for death to act, Kid needed to be stronger, there was no way he would be able to take over the netherworld alone, and his mind stay intact.

Maka wondered if he was doomed to the same ill fate his mother had, to go crazy in the netherworld, being surrounded by death with no one to comfort him. Maka's resolve firmed up, no one should have to die alone but death should not have to be alone either. Kid was right about one thing, death should be more humane. There needed to be a change in the way the world worked, but though she loved Kid she could not see him doing all this work alone. How would he get the Souls to the underworld if he was trapped in the never after. He couldn't logistically it was impossible right?

"Let say you manage to take over the netherworld, explain to me how you plan on getting the reaps back to the never after." Maka questioned logically.

"I can't explain to you how that part works. That's a secret only privies to the Shinigami." Kid answered quickly.

"Right now Death Scythes bring back human souls for lord death. But you said that Lord death is having mobility issues being trapped to the room in the academy and in his manor. Your telling me you won't have the same mobility problems once you are trapped in the never after."

"No because in a way it's not as permanent as the way honorable father is trapped." Kid tried to explain without revealing too much. Kid did not mention he was hoping that after his coup d'état his father would regain position with a stronger outlook and stronger humanist perspective. Kid was planning on that, and he would regain a position in reality again.

"So basically you will have a way of coming and going and getting souls." Maka re-worded her question trying to come at Kid in a different manner.

"You're asking me to explain to much." Kid griped.

"I think you're going to need help taking over the netherworld Kid-kun. I don't think your capable of handling all that alone. You said yourself your mother went crazy out of the monotony of it all. How could you even be considering doing that." Maka added poignantly.

"You don't think I can do it." Kid asked alarmed.

"I think you would need help to do it." Maka reasoned "I'm not saying you can't. Just that you're going to need some support. Lord Death is really strong what if he doesn't like being forced in too retirement."

"I haven't planned that part yet. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that but if necessary I will coup d'état, I'm hoping he will understand though he is usually pretty open minded."

Kid eyed Maka suspiciously. He didn't understand the difference of what she was saying all he understood was hearing was Maka didn't believe in him. He was a little frightened that Maka was going to tell Lord Death his intentions.

"I think, I've made a decision." Maka said pulling Kid's face down to hers.

"And what's that." Kid reverberated emotionless.

"I'm going to try to step out of death boundaries. I'm going to become immortal like you."

Maka explained quickly. "This way you won't be alone. I can't see you reaping ever soul that dies in the world, taking care of the netherworld and having to reap all our friends souls by yourself, and still holding it together as a person. That just to lonely of a path to walk. If you're going to bring more humane death for all people in this world, than I'm going to support you. "

"Even if it means going against my most honorable father, so he can be saved from his loneliness?" Kid questioned, his lip began trembling for some reason.

" I want to help you Kid-kun. I'm going to help you take over the never-after." Maka whispered so quiet that only Kid could hear her.

The words were treacherous, they felt dangerous on Maka's tongue, but she knew she meant them. The way that Kid had explained his mother and death had just quietly looked on even though her behavior was unacceptable, had left a sour taste in her mouth. She felt sorry for Shinigami-sama but she felt angry at him the same time. She felt Kid's intentions were noble, he wanted to save his father he was willing to suffer the consequences to help humanity experience a more gentler dyeing experience and being a Buddhist herself she felt somehow her own religious beliefs demanded for her to help him. Maka was by far not a good Buddhist but she was a practical one, and the thought of eliminating cruelty from death made her feel righteous as if she were doing the right things.

Kid looked at Maka astonished. He hadn't considered anyone helping him, that anyone would want to help him much less volunteer. Patty and Elizabeth had been completely against his plans, they wanted lord death to stay as the embodiment of death forever. Where Maka was talking about helping him overthrow the regime. It surprised him because Maka was so committed to standing by and following every rule Shinigami-sama had laid out for her. He realized deep down that in itself this was some form of love, maybe this was the way Maka expressed her love. To support her ally even if it would mean she would get in trouble and possibly be killed in the aftermath.

"Do you think you could put up with me for the rest of my immortality?" Maka questioned.

Kid's heart leapt. Put up with her? Shouldn't he be asking that question. He reached out a quivering hand to Maka. It sounded almost like a marriage proposal, something from a fantasy novel, something that he wanted to hear desperately and thought he had no hope to ever have.

Kid smashed his body against Maka's. He let himself feel every inch of her body against himself. He pressed her face into his chest and the tears started rolling down his cheeks. He wouldn't have to be alone. Maka was going to stay with him. Maka wanted him, someone finally wanted to be with him.

Maka felt Kid starting to cry and she reached up to the taller boys shoulder and pulled him against her small chest. Kid's knees gave out from under him, he was in hiccupping sobs. Sobs of both relief and desperation.

Maka began running her fingers threw the sobbing boys hair. "I don't want you to be in the never-after alone. Kid-kun. Your dad is so hungry for company that time seems to drag on forever in there. I don't want it to be that way for you too."

"I understand also that you want your friends to have normal lives even though that's something you can't have for yourself, and that you are timid about reaping your friends, is there a way we can remove everyone from the grand design so you won't have to reap them?"

"No.."

Kid coughed, "If we do that in essence all normalcy is removed for their lives. They would be more like Shinigami than humans. That is how Belle Morte became Shinigami and can reap Souls the same as me and honorable father.

"Black Star would love that." Maka snorted.

"No he wouldn't. Eventually it gets tiring and old, and you just wish of normalcy, to be able to do normal things, like go to school, or have dinner with friends, or just go out or spend quiet evening at home with family. Being a Shinigami is a life of service helping people to the never-after.

Some times its pleasant, like when you can be there when someone really old dies of natural causes, or when you see people suffering and you know you can help them to not hurt, but more often you are given the job of stripping people of their loved ones. Reaping people who are sometimes not ready to end their lives.

Do you know what it's like looking into the face of a ghost telling them to walk through a light, and not being able to answer any questions for them on why there life ended when it did, or what is going to happen to them. Its hard work and its very painful. I can't see Black Star doing that at all, I think he would find it to depressing, On the other hand I would say Black Star and Tsubaki would be one of the best at brining the souls of the wicked in something like a avenging angel. That is if you could get him to focus and pay attention."

Kid took a deep breath, he stopped thinking about keeping Maka beside him forever, and was coming back down to reality now. His own words had sunk in. He didn't see Maka doing those things either. Nor did he see Patty and Liz or Soul.

"Are you sure you want to help me do that? I'm going to tell you strait up it's depressing work. After all the main job of a Shinigami is chasing after the grand design and cleaning up the mess. Some times its pretty gory."

"I don't want you to have to do that all alone. I can see myself doing a life of service actually. I know it sounds stupid but I thought removing the Kishen eggs kind of was like that." Maka said rubbing her cheek.

"It is, but that part offers a sense of danger and the thrill of the hunt. The way normal people die usually isn't so dangerous. A lot of time its simply going to a location and waiting and then telling a person to get there ass into the light, and stop asking so many questions. Sometimes people can get pretty belligerent too."

"You make it sound like a court summons." Maka explained.

"Sometimes it feels like that." Kid said with a snort. "But as I said there are rewarding moments too."

Maka stroked Kid's neck the wind changed again and left a fine mist of rain about them."I think I would like helping the elderly and people that are sick and in pain."

"I like that part too." Kid whispered into Maka's arm he left a kiss on the bend of her arm and buried his face in her lap before trying to stand.

"Your serious. You'll help me, even if you sometimes you will have to do and see things you don't like." Kid asked calmly. The rain and the lightning was slowing but the wind was picking up.

"I'll do whatever I can." Maka explained rising from the worn boards of the docks.

"Then I'll help you step out of the Gran Design, and I won't mention to you again about going into the Never-After." Kid said solemnly.

"So its agreed I'm going to become a Shinigami." Maka questioned.

Kid wanted to ask Maka why she was doing this, but the question wouldn't fall from his lips. He wondered if Maka was simply doing this as his ally, if she was doing it out of love, if it was because she felt sympathy for his father, or for him. So many reasons filled his mind. Some tender and some cruel. He just didn't think he wanted to know the answer.

"Why are you so sad all the sudden." Maka questioned feeling the rain begin to penetrate her clothing.

Kid looked up at the sky and let the rain fall into his eyes. "Because I had intended my friends to live normal lives, and my selfishness is going to prevent you from having that."

"I think you're the least selfish person I know right now. How can you say that about yourself, Your planning on going into the never-after so people experience a better version of death than what is happening right now, and you were planning on isolating yourself and doing it alone so you could spare your father and your friends. Kid-kun how can you call yourself selfish, do you know how honorable that is."

"It's not honorable, when I would throw it all away, just to have more time with you. I forget now and then, what I'm supposed to do, when I'm with you. Part of me wants to listen to Patty and Liz and just wants to live a normal life. When I'm with you my mind wonders and begin thinking of stupid things like having a future outside the never-after, and dreaming about spending every moment with you. I look at you and I see a normal future for myself, one without such noble intent."

"But you don't need to worry about that anymore. I'm going to help you're not going to have to reap my soul. You're not going to have to choose between me and doing the right thing because, I'm going to support you and help you. If need be I will help you fight against Shinigami-sama for what is right and I will help you to free him from the nether-world. I think what your doing is good Kiddo-kun and I believe you are right in what you're saying that's why I want to help you. More importantly I think you will need me to pull it all off."

"So your just doing this because you think it's right and you look at me as your ally." Kid whispered softly.

He didn't know what answer he was hoping for and doubted highly that anything she would say would satisfy him. Maybe he was hoping that she was doing it out of love for him, and that was the only reason. What she had told him was that she believed in what he was doing. Which was more that he hoped for but he had also hoped she would finally say that she loved him back.

"I have lots of reasons. I don't know if I can name them all just at this moment." Maka implied shyly

Kid ran his fingers nervously threw his long bangs. "Do you love me Maka? Is that one of the reasons?"

Maka blushed and looked at the ground. "I do but I don't think that alone was a good enough reason to state."

Kid felt his heart beat faster, he had somewhat tricked her into saying it but he still wanted to hear these things. He wanted to feel loved, to be desired. He wanted a silly romance like he read about in all those stupid mangas he read. He wanted all those things above almost all else, even if it did seem girly, and juvenile for a boy to want. Something inside him wanted to pry those words from Maka's lips but she was just so damn shy.

"What do you mean but you didn't think love was not a good enough reason alone."

"People grow in and out of love. I think when you enter into a relationship if you're considering getting married or being with a person for a long time there has to be more reasons than just love, that will glue you together.

My mother and father a good example of the opposite of that. You said it before they were missing something and in the end my mother left and my father cheated. I don't want that type of love, love that can change and cause people just throw people away without even considering the repercussions.

I want my relationships to be more solid than theirs, I want more than just love, I want purpose, and to share strength, I want to protect and be protected, I want someone who I can share all things with, and that isn't going to criticize me for things they don't understand. Most importantly I want someone who is will take the time to learn about me and will let me learn about them. I want someone who can argue with me one minute and I can apologize to the next. I want someone who can hold their ground with me and not run out on me when they don't like what I say. I want a love that will never end in divorce."

Kid interrupted, "You want forever."

"Yes in a matter of speaking I want forever." Maka snorted with laughter.

Kid flipped his bangs out of his eyes. "Probably why you like reading those vampire novels so much. Those vampiric bastards are always promising forever to women. They make the rest of us men look bad." Kid complained playfully.

"What is it you want from a relationship Kid-kun?"

"It's a lot less thought out than yours." Kid admitted humbly.

Maka wrapped her arms around Kid's waist."I'm not going to make fun of you go ahead and tell me."

"Would it sound like a pick up line if I just answered _you_?" Kid asked bemused.

Maka rolled her eyes. "You said your mind drifted away and you started dreaming of the future when you were with me, surely you have some sort of plans if you're trying to start a relationship with me."

"That's just it I didn't really think we could even have a future together, so basically I was just concentrating on living each moment to the fullest when I was around you and trying to enjoy the time I have left."

"You make it sound like you don't have much time left." Maka questioned.

Kid held up his chronograph and showed Maka the date he had programmed into the watch. "That's the date I'm going to confront my father, if he doesn't consider my offer than the next day I'll use force if I have too."

"Why that day? Why so soon."

"Because Belle Morte needs stopped, because he's weakest on that particular day." Kid said in confidence.

"Don't worry I'll make sure we have all this solved with the grand design and the Lazarus thieves before I do this." Kid stroked Maka back and noticed his hand came back wet.

"Crap your getting soaked!" Kid mumbled looking for some way to keep Maka dried.

Maka poked at Kid's t-shirt until he could hear the squishing noise coming from it. "You're already soaked I don't see what the big deal is."

Kid started pulling Maka back to the eaves of the warehouse so they were out of the rain. He didn't care about himself, yes he knew his hair was getting wet, but it wasn't like he could feel cold or anything, he worried more about Maka. His eyes nearly bulged out when he noticed her white tank top was almost completely transparent. Only the gold writing on it that read just like you and me kept him from staring at the orange sports bra she had on. The outer shirt he had draped around her earlier was now drenched as well.

"Aren't you cold?" Kid questioned.

"No its kind of getting balmy out here. I'm just wet. You really can't feel the elements can you." Maka questioned stroking the back of Kid's neck.

"I can feel that its wet, but I don't feel temperature, and I don't perceive pain the same way either." Kid admitted.

"I wonder if it's because you skin is so different? Will my skin feel like thick silk like yours when I'm a Shinigami."

"I didn't realize my skin was different." Kid questioned feeling his skin with his own hands.

"It feels just like every else's to me. Kid said squeezing a pinch of skin between his fingers."

"It feels like you have gloves on when you touch me." Maka admitted. "It felt weird at first but I'm getting use to it, I think I kind of like it."

Kid ran his fingers over Maka's wrists and pinched lightly on the back of her hand. Maybe Maka was right maybe his skin did feel different Maka's had a lot more give to it, it kind of had a powdery feel to it between his fingers. He tried to remember if his mothers or his father's skin felt this way but he was drawing a blank. He got a wicked idea then, he grabbed Maka by the wrist and pulled her into a quick kiss. He let his hand dangle by the edge of Maka skirt as he kissed her and quickly reached up under it to pinch her ass.

Maka yelped and ducked back away from him.

Yes even the dry area of Maka had a certain powdery feel to it, Maka's skin felt so much more delicate than his. He wondered if more places would feel like that, now that he was aware she really did feel different to him.

"What did you do that for?" Maka asked wide eyed rubbing her rear.

"I wanted to see if it was just all the ran sitting on your skin that made you feel that way or if the dry area's felt so soft too." Kid laughed with a chuckle. It was a weak excuse but he let a pout play on his lips, as if Maka had hurt his feelings.

"You could have found somewhere else dry to grab, you pervert." Maka barked flustered at Kid. Kid made another movement to pinch her again but she smacked at his offensive hand and darted quickly out of the way.

"I'm not allowed doing perverted things with my girlfriend." Kid said his eyes glancing down on the large gold necklace and emerald peeking out from Maka's shirt.

Maka looked at Kid considering the thought. He was a boy, he was bound to do some playful groping and touching but she just wasn't use to the idea of people grabbing her out of the blue.

Kid strolled to her and used a single finger to lift the necklace off her neck. "What's this?"

"Soul found it he told me to keep it." Maka said looking down at the clunky necklace.

Kid rolled his eyes and looked un-amused, "Have you ever read the Wizard of Oz series?"

"Yes." Maka proclaimed happily.

"Do you know originally the book was called the _Emerald City, _they made the author change it though because emeralds are considered bad luck."

"What's that have to do with Soul giving me a necklace." Maka snorted, she had a good feeling she knew where this conversation was going, she had already planned on giving the necklace back but had decided to wait till she could shove it into Souls sock draw at home.

Kid lifted his nose in the air arrogantly. "I just don't think its practical be picking up strange jewelry from the bottom of the ocean when were having problems with Oni and the Grand Design chasing at your heels."

"Kid-kun if your jealous and you don't want me accepting jewelry from other guys just say so."

Kid gulped like a fish for a few seconds. His lips bent into a crooked expression. " I'm jealous and I don't want you accepting jewelry from other men other than myself. Especially things that can be cursed and where we don't know where they came from."

"I was planning on shoving it in his sock draw when we got home." Maka admitted.

"Just in case it cursed can I hold on to it till then." Kid questioned looking at the garishly large emerald.

"You're not going to do something stupid with it like throw it at Soul are you and throw a tantrum." Maka questioned.

"The thought never entered my mind." Kid lied.

"Can we keep the Shinigami thing to ourselves until I'm ready to tell everyone." Maka questioned.

Kid gave Maka a dignified smile, "Of course."

Kid rubbed the back of his hair and pocketed the emerald. He was going to have to buy Maka a really big and expensive engagement ring to top this one. Stupid Soul what was he thinking giving Maka that garish thing, was he trying to convince her to go steady with him or something. "You know Maka when you said you were willing to spend eternity with me, it kind of sounded like a marriage proposal."

"Did it?" Maka asked emotionless.

Kid blushed red. "Yes it did."


	14. Chapter 14

**Forever in the Never After Extra Chapter. **

Ok as promissed this is the lemon chapter. You can find the lemon under mature section in Soul Eater. Labled **Forever in the Never After Lemon Sequence from Chapter 14. **

**.net/s/6537722/1/Forever_in_the_Never_After_Lemon_Sequence**

**Spoilers Do not read this before you read chapter 14 if you are going to read Chapter 14.**

Most of the time when I read really good things on they use the cop out of having the character having already having sex. Or for some reason they are magically empowered with the ability to have mind blowing sex scenes even though it is there first time. That part while great to read just isn't realistic to expect from two virgins, especially a prude like Maka, and a socially inept guy like Kid, who is more likely to fall apart during sex than have a good performance without doing some homework first.

As a author, I found writing awkward teenagers exploring sex for the first time was a hard write. I'm more of smut fan myself and found that a Anita Blake hardcore romp with hormones is easier to write than trying to make a gentle explorative sex scene with little biting scratching or out a little domination. The whole time I was writing this, I kept saying "this sucks!"

I wanted a nice sweet little love scene, I got two sloppy teenagers trying to awkwardly figure their way through things. In a way that is what I think your first experience with a guy or girl is like. Way too awkward, and confused about what to do and how to move.

Hopefully it will read ok even if it did feel kind of clunky repetitive and started and stopped too much.

I promise later chapters, that contain more lemon will become more cleaner, more fluid less talk and more action, but I wanted them to learn a little at a time. I think a lot of writers forget that sex when your first starting out is mess uncomfortable and when both parties are virgins it's just plain clunky.

So overall I hated this chapter I apologize for it in advanced, I let someone talk me into publishing it even though I feel its hardly good enough to let out. I have decided "I Suck writing teenage sex ." So Gomen Nasai please don't drop me from favorites for this chapter, next chapter will be back to plot and action, later lemon content will be better because the first attempt is out of the way and I'm sending Kid to Hentai land to be re-educated since he is a boy and now he has had a small taste of what he wants.

So end the end I probably cop-out and gave you another lime but it still was to explicit to be classed as Teenage so Sumimasen I will continue to improve.

**SOUL EATER MST3K of Chapter 14**

Death the Kid: I'm never going to get any am I?

Neko: God damn it I'm trying! You got a little didn't you?

Death the Kid: I'm a boy I'm never content and why the hell did you make me cry after.

Neko: I just wanted you to seem a little more, in touch with your inner goddess.

Death the Kid: I'm a god not a goddess why do you people do this to me. You make me look like a damn Yaoi boy! I'm a man do you understand that? A man! God damn authors are always de-emasculating me!

Maka: I thought it showed how gentle you are how much you trying to feel loved. It's like Kid-kun is hungry for love more than anything else. I thought it was cute.

Death the Kid: [blushes a bit] ok your forgiven only because Maka thought it was ok.

Soul: What the hell are you complaining about? I didn't get to do anything in this chapter or the last!

Black Star: Yeah and it's obvious that I'm the god damn Hero how come Kid got the girl!

Soul: Yeah I'm kind of pissed at that too!

Black Star: I say we stomp her head in!

Tsubaki: Let's not be so hasty!

Black Star: Have you read her rough draft on what she's going to have happen to you? You aren't going to be so happy with her if you start reading her notes.

Soul: Why what happens to Tsubaki?

Maka: Shut up your going to ruin the plot!

Tsubaki: Is something bad happening to me?

Maka: Not you particularly but...

Black Star: See I told you she is evil incarnate but you ass holes didn't listen to me.

Neko: I think I'm going to run a way now and find some hole to hide in till the holidays are over. OH one more note! I'm baking and its Christmas, so I will try to get out another chapter before the holidays but hubby, in laws and cooking take precedent over fan fiction.

Soul: Your such a liar, your going to be making cookies what a couple of day, your just planning to drink too much, and gamble more because its the holidays.

Black Star: She's already making plans to go to the casino with her in-laws.

Neko: I never drink too much!

Tsubaki: What about thanksgiving?

Maka: Sangria...

Neko: But I got a chapter out the next day! I wrote all night.

Black Star: On a buzz!

Neko: I was not buzzed! Normal people get tired when they have too much to drink. I just had a glass.

Maka: It was a sports bottle sized glass!

Neko: Well the damn turkey was dry!

Kid: Wait till she gets a hold of the eggnog.

Maka: I thought only old people drink eggnog.

Soul: Look who we are talking about here! She's got more gray ones coming in than I do!

Neko: Cries, I'm not a old gambling lush!

Maka: Maybe we should start calling her Grandma Tsunada!

Black Star: That fits perfectly...

Neko: No it doesn't! no it doesn't!

Black Star: Yeah she married Perv Sage too...

Liz: This is what happens when old women have no Kid's to take care of, and live with gamer husbands and ferrets! They become Josei reading housewives with too much time on their hands.

Neko: I love my ferrets though!

Soul: Sleep it off you damn lush, and don't come back till you find a way to fix the plot and make sure I'm back with Maka!

Black Star: NO way dude I should get Maka. I'm the nice one!

Death the Kid: Fat chance, Plot seems fine to me except I keep turning into a cry baby after sex!

Black Star: No )*&^ Way. I think we have all had enough NERD on NERD.

Maka: WE DIDN'T HAVE SEX!

Soul: What you had sex last chapter! Where the F)*^ was I?

Death the Kid: Yes Maka took my virginity!

Black Star: What I should have been the one to tap that! NO Nerd-boy! How the hell did you even pull that off as neurotic as you are.

Liz: [laughing so hard she is buckling over] I can imagine that... Maka your too far to the left. Maka you are too far to the right. Maka god damn it why can't you stay symmetrical for me!

Maka: It wasn't like that at all!

Patty: [pouts]Maka how come you had sex with Kid-kun instead of me?

Maka: Err because were girls!

Patty: But I like Maka the most! Neko-sama can I have Maka in the next story?

Maka: [blushing and looking frightened and confused]

Black Star: I think I'd like to see that!

Soul: Strangely I think I would too as long as I don't have to get beat to death by Patty.

Liz: Quit having perverted thoughts about my sister and Maka. Kid say something.

Death the Kid: I kind of have to agree with Soul and Black Star on this one.

Tsubaki: Boys are such scumbags!

Liz: Say something Neko!

Neko: I really liked Utena and Bamboo Blade, I think you can have love between two girls and it be a beautiful thing, it doesn't have to be sexual it can just be deep friendship. Like Sakura and Tomoyo from Card Capture Sakura. And Anthy and Utena, she chose her best friend over the guy who loved her. It was so beautiful!

Soul: Well than why waste time on neurotic Death the Kid! Let see some girl on girl.

Neko: You completely missed the point of what I was talking about.

Liz: You expect them to understand that concept.

Neko: [sighs] probably not.

Liz: Just finish writing the Kiddo fic than.

Tsubaki: It's probably the safer choice of the two.

Black Star: but I wanna see Patty get fresh with Maka!

ALL Girls: Shut up! Your opinion don't count.

Soul: That could be sooo much better than this fic. I'd like some late night reading.

Maka: [snort] As if you know how to read.

Death the Kid: But I do...

Maka: [blushes] You'd read something like that!

Kid: Anything with you Maka!

Soul: [snidely] Anything with you Maka.

Kid: If we are diving into the deaths of darkness and are going to turn into a Anita Blake smut story can I be Jean Claude?

Neko: You think you can handle that role.

Kid: I would like try! What do you think Ma Petite?

Maka: HELL NO! KId-kun can not be Jean Claude. I'm not going to be called My Petite ever other sentence, and I'm not going to do all that naughty stuff Anita Blake does. Her boyfriends are into whips and chains and stuff!

Liz: What are they talking about?

Tsubaki: Dirty house wife fiction! I love Jean Claude! I think the story should go that way!

Kid: See someone is on my side! Come on Neko make me cool! I want to be slick and...

Neko: And get laid, I know I know you want to get laid and you don't want to look like a girl! I get it. I'll write you a damn chapter.

Soul & Black Star: What about us!

Maka: [stomping her foot ]Nobody is screwing me!

Neko: Sorry Maka...

Kid: YES!

Maka: What the hell is that suppose to mean?

Kid: You will find out later! Ma Petite.

Maka: Quit talking like that! Your making me nervous!

Tsubaki: So this is going to be a love story?

Neko: Supernatural, Love story but a love story!

Tsubaki: I love it.

Black Star: You aint gonna love her soon.

Tsubaki: Shut up Black Star I don't want to hear anymore! Your going to ruin the plot.

Soul: What happens to Tsubaki?

Black Star: Come here I whisper it into your ear.

Soul: OH god Tsubaki I'm sorry...

Tsubaki: Your not going to trick me, I don't know whats going to happen, I know Neko won't kill me will you Neko!

Neko:...

Tsubaki: Your going to kill me?

Neko:...NO not kill you.

Black Star: You want to see it I stole her pages I got it here somewhere.

Neko: Quit reading ahead, I don't even know if those pages are going to be part of the story or not!

Black Star: Here Tsubaki read this right here!

Tsubaki: Gets wide eyed. How how could you!

Neko: Its not like I'm killing you or anything! I like you your my girl!

Tsubaki: And you find this acceptable? {Tsubaki complains wadding up the script}

Neko: Its a drama no one really dies in real life, its a play... Just like acting on stage or watching TV.

Tsubaki: I hate you your just plain evil just what Black Star says!

Neko: I'm only giving you this role because you have the range to play it! I know you can do this in the fashion I have it written, and since it's just a script you can perform it perfectly with your subtle acting. We are talking academy award winning drama stuff here.

Soul: Your not that good of a writer.

Neko: But She's that good of a character. She's going to make it better even if my writing is shotty.

Tsubaki: It's not real life...I'll get to be a dramatic lead.

Neko: Yes, you're the painful character, and some of the most dramatic stuff in the story is going to rotate around you...

Tsubaki: {smacking her fist} I proudly accept this role!

Neko: Thats my girl.

Soul: Your so damn manipulative!

Neko: If you keep running that big mouth of yours sharky I'm duck taping you to the ground. In my opinion you're the most annoying of all the characters here! Your manipulative, you endanger peoples' lives, you hurt Maka nearly constantly and if any character is getting killed it's going to be you.

Soul: So you think your man enough to Kill me off!

Neko: No I'm woman enough to throw you in the back ground and make you not even noticeable.

Soul: Is that a threat.

Neko: God I hate you! I should make you fall in love with a minor character and write your ass out of the story. You do nothing but just get in my way.

Soul: Well the show is called SOUL EATER. I am the damn lead, and your making Kid the lead.

Neko: That's not even your real name, Your last name is EVANS. You come from a rich family and your just running away because you can't deal with your brother.

Kid: Here they go again...

Maka: Do you think we should stop them. He's going to piss her off and she will write him out.

Kid: I'm not going to stop her, Souls been a pain in the neck to me since the beginning of the script, This would have been a nice little fluffy love story between the two of us had he not been involved.

Maka: Then the story would have had no plot.

Kid: I don't need plot I just need you.

Soul: Enough with the panty dropping lines Maka aint buying it.

Maka: [blushes scarlet]

Neko: You leave him alone he's not doing anything to you!

Soul: OH for gods sake just write your next chapter.

Neko: Fine

Soul: Fine


	15. Chapter 15

Forever in the Never After.

Hospitals and Reapers.

Soul looked down at his watch and scanned the room again. Maka and Kid had disappeared had she run off to the hospital to check on her old man or something. Maka was getting into a habit of not telling him things, and it was getting annoying. What the hell was with her lately. She was never this absent minded until he started hanging around. Ah there was that unpleasant thought again, Death the Kid. Something in Soul just crackled with anger, with just the mention of his name.

" God I want to give him a bloody nose, but Maka will just get upset at me even more. He makes her irresponsible."

Soul watched the door to find Kid sneaking back in with Maka in tow. He was carrying her bridal style and trying to make his way over to the fire without being noticed.

"What happened to Maka?" Soul said jumping up from his seat his voice was alarmed but he tried to be quiet in front of the class and all the strangers that were around.

"She just fainted, probably from lack of sleep, she didn't rest good the last two nights." Kid said with a yawn.

"Thats because she was over at your house." Soul added snidely.

"probably" Kid mouthed.

He was too tired to argue tonight. Soul was probably right anyways, he knew if the two of them were at home again they probably wouldn't be sleeping again. I sly smirk filled his lips but Kid quickly chased it away before Soul could see it.

"I'm just worried about her she's been acting weird lately." Soul complained.

"Well she learned she was going to die, and there is this whole mess with the Lazarus." Kid explained, "I think she'll be fine though, she made some big choices tonight and in the end it will all work out for the best."

"Did you talk her into going into the Never After?" Soul questioned astonished.

"I tried, but she decided on Black Stars method in the end." Kid yawned.

Kid could barely keep his eyes open he sat Maka down between himself and Soul and tried to focus on the light of the fire. His head kept bobbing up and down though.

"And you're just going to let her do it, I thought you said it was dangerous and it would change the outcome of her natural life."

"It is and it will." Kid said sadly. "But Maka has decided on something different, and I'm not going to stop her. Hell I don't think I could stop her even if I didn't promise her..."

Soul didn't like where this conversation was heading. Maka had evidently bullied Kid into getting her way again. The guy had no backbone what so ever, didn't he understand how to stand up to her.

"What's going to happen to Maka if we use Black Star idea and use up her turning points."

"I can't really talk about that with you. Your asking about Shinigami magic and I'm not suppose to tell people about these things. On the good note Maka understand it and she can talk about it to you, so I am certain she will tell you when she wakes up."

"Why the hell do you have to be so damn difficult all the time, why can't you give me a straight answer."

"Because death has no strait answers."

"That exactly what I'm talking about. Stupid enigmatic bullshit, you know all about what's going on and you won't say a word, even if it costs Maka her life."

"...I'm sorry. I know how hard this is going to be for you to accept, but I really am sorry."

"When Maka wakes up tell her I'll take her to see her father."

"Where the hell are you going?" Soul barked.

"To work, there is someone I must do something for on the other side of the island."

"So you're just going to drop Maka here, and leave to take care of it, you're a real piece of work you know that."

"I'm not just dropping Maka here. I'm leaving her with you where I know she will be safe." Kid whispered softly.

"What the hell so damn important huh that you can't stay next to Maka till she wakes up."

Kid's dark aura formed on his body producing the mask of death and the cloak of the Shinigami, people around the fire began staring at the odd spectacle the lead voodoo practitioner dropped to her knees and began praying in a foreign tongue.

"I would like nothing more in the world to just sit here and stay with Maka till she wakes up, but my work calls me. Death waits for no man Soul. Not even me."

Kid produced Beezlebub with his hand and jumped atop of it to the oohs and aahs of the congregation.

"You leavin' Death God" Dominic questioned.

"For a short while. Someone needs my help."

"You need us to come with you?" Liz questioned.

"No its work. Stay here with the others I'll be back shortly, it never takes long." Kid explained stoically.

Kid was glad he was feeling the call, of the Grand Design. Souls question and accusation had cut him to the core. He didn't want to leave Maka, He wished he could tell everyone everything about death but things just didn't work that way in reality. He looked back to Maka and wondered again if he had done the right thing. Maybe he should have taken her with him even though she was sleeping. After all Maka wanted to be a death god, she would need to see soon enough what those duties entailed.

Kid flew away reluctantly to the other side of the island. It took less than six minutes max to find where he was going his eyes wondered around finding the familiar orange mist leading him right to the body. Like always the ghost of person was standing next to their body confused and locked with a frightened expression. The ghost didn't even see Kid come near it. Evidently death had already come for this unlucky individual. The Grand Design had finished the deed before Kid could help the soul to leave its body. All Kid had to do was complete the reap. He slid the familiar bone mask down over his face and raised his collar and hood on his cloak. The perfect image of death, the look that had been past down for centuries from the beginning of time.

Kid relaxed as he felt his body flow into the orange vapor trail left from the grand design. It was comforting, feeling it pull his body next to the corpse, he didn't have to move or walk just stand still and let grand design move him forward. He watched as color faded from the world, and became black and white, his eyes flickered from gold to amber, drinking in the remains of life the body was giving off.

The ghost finally looked up from its own body as Kid put his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Who are you." The ghost questioned.

Kid scanned the corpse of the man looking for any tell tale marks of religion. On his left arm was a thick hemp bracelet beaded with red gold and green. Kid looked at the thick dreadlocks of the ghosts and guessed he was probably Rastafarian.

"I'm the one who has come to free you from Babylon."

The ghost reeled a moment and took a step back and took in Kid's strange attire.

"This must be some kind of joke. I'm not done living yet."

"It's no joke my brother. You are freed from Babylon it's time for your re-incarnation."

Kid watched as the ghost began backing up from him. Obviously this man hadn't made peace yet. That wasn't Kid's job though.

The man began quoting scripture at Kid trying to ward him away. "...O Thou God of Ethiopia, Thou God of Thy Divine Majesty, Thy Spirit come into our hearts, to dwell in the paths of righteousness. Lead and help InI to forgive, that InI may be forgiven. Teach InI Love and loyalty on earth as it is in Zion, Endow us with Thy wisemind, knowledge and Overstanding to do thy will, thy blessings to us, that the hungry might be fed, the sick nourished, the aged protected, the naked clothed and the infants cared for. Deliver InI from the hands of our enemy, that InI may prove fruitful in these Last Days, when our enemy have passed and decayed in the depths of the sea, in the depths of the earth, or in the belly of a beast. O give us a place in Thy Kingdom forever and ever, so we hail our God JAH Selassie I, Jehovah God, Rastafari, Almighty God, Rastafari, great and powerful God JAH, Rastafari. Who sitteth and reigneth in the heart of man and woman, hear us and bless us and sanctify us, and cause Thy loving Face to shine upon us thy children, that we may be saved, SELAH"

"I cannot offer you absolution only freedom from Babylon it's time now." Kid murmured quietly

"You will not here my prayers?" The man questioned.

"I cannot extend your life, I can hear your prayers quite fine."

Kid was getting aggravated. He wanted to yell, _It's not that damn hard just walk your ass into the light already!_ But Kid realized that would be horrible. For a emissary of death to act so calloused. Kid sat there in the rain watching the ghost to make sure he didn't try to run off.

Kid cursed his bad luck why did he always get the runners. Why wasn't there a Soul bird around when you needed one. OH yeah he had shot at the soul birds today, and probably spooked them. He looked around the high places that could have held a raven, and noticed there wasn't a bird in sight. He sunk down to the ground and tried to hide a yawn.

"Do you need confession?"

"Yes." The man answered quickly. "Do you not take prayers from Rastafaria did I choose the wrong religion?"

Kid wanted to say religious choices didn't matter but bit his tongue. He was trained to respond to all religions, no matter how great or small. He nestled himself together and listened to the man recite the sins of his life.

"What prayers should I say, I know Christian ones too."

"It's best to practice the belief that you have held your whole life." Kid chuckled to himself.

"I always thought death would have pearly gates to pass through before you are reincarnated."

"You haven't reached the area yet where you can see that sort of thing."

"Will I be reincarnated?"

"I wish I could tell you yes most definitely, but I honestly don't know, I don't get to see what's on the other side of the light. When you come back and see me the next time maybe you can tell me what it looks like and what's over there."

"I'm going to be reincarnated. The man said overjoyed."

I didn't mean it that way! Kid thought to himself and realized he had chosen the wrong words. Why was it so hard dealing with ghosts. It was so much easier, when he could get there as the grand design was taking them and just let them slide on over. He realized the man was happy though, and in the end that meant he had done his job. He was ready now.

"I'm ready to leave Babylon sir, I'm ready to see what's on the other side."

Kid's voice slipped into a thick Jamaican dialect as the miasma filled his throat. "I hope you are granted a place in the Kingdom forever brother."

He held out his hand to the ghost and as the ghost took it, he shimmered into a blue ball of light. Kid held the ball lovingly to his chest. It's ok now, time to go just let the wind take you to where you feel is right. He tossed the ball up into the lightning lit sky and the soul sparkled and took off zipping in different directions. Finally the blue light settled on a path and flicked across the sky leaving a tail behind it.

Kid raised his hands over the body of the man and did a quick hand sign. Slowly a hour glass lifted from the man's body. Kid pocketed the hourglass in his robe and pulled out a small book in his pocket.

"I'm so tired tonight I can't even remember if Rastafarians have funerals." He questioned out loud. Kid scanned over the leather bound journal written in his own hands and found his notes on Rastafarian religion. He went down forming a mental check list making sure he had performed everything correctly and found the part he was looking for.

"Reincarnation belief structure, no funeral or death celebration." Kid recited out loud.

"One down four more to go hope the next two aren't would be runners."

"I hope Maka is ok with me leaving."

Meanwhile Maka tumbled about fiercely in the warehouse, she was dreaming, and though Soul had tried to wake her she had fallen back to sleep twice since Kid left.

"Hey what the hell is going on with you...Maka you need to wake up." Soul chided trying to strip Maka from her slumber once more.

"No don't hurt me... don't leave" escaped Maka's lips.

The parishioners had settled down, most had jobs to work and they had left in the early hours of the morning to get home and change before setting off to work. Only Dominic and the Shadow priestess had stayed.

"What's wrong with her demon." Dominic said pointing to Maka.

"I'm not a demon will ya quit calling me that already, I'm just a weapon." Soul barked.

"I know a demon when I see one. You be one of the evil spirits, you won't trick me." Dominic faltered.

"No such thing as evil spirits, spirits are neither good nor bad Dominic." Marie called back.

"Your friend she don't dream good." Marie proclaimed in a motherly tone.

Soul adjusted his headband. "No her mother left her, she has problems sleeping at night."

"You know I got amulets for warding against such things. Why don't you let me give you one."

"Ah that's ok, I don't much believe in amulets and voodoo and stuff."

"You be a spirit and you don't believe in Obeah. That's rich."

Soul shuffled around and bent Maka close to him. It was almost morning, the lies told from the night before seemed tiring to keep up, he didn't much care for lying, when the people around him didn't matter to him.

"We only came here to study Obeah for our class, we were suppose to study zombies but than our professor got sick."

"If its zombies you want to be learning 'bout you should have just said so." Marie said clicking her tongue. "You children come over here, I can tell you all sorts of things about zombies."

Black Star looked at the woman miffed. "You know anything about how to return a zombie to being human. That's what I'd like to know."

"Warding against zombies would be good too." Tsubaki added quickly.

"How actually do you make a Zombie anyway? I'm still kind of confused on that." Chrona questioned.

"Ok, Ok children one at a time. Let's talk about summoning the zombie first."

"First thing you need is to set up your circle, as you know the circle brings you spirits, the spirits are what helps you create the zombie. If the spirits aren't feed no zombie. So you must give it a offering. Small things need small offerings, you can bring food or slice your hand for a little blood, larger things like people take a goat or two. If you don't have a goat you can use at least three to four chickens. But remember the exchange must be equal. Old death takes more than someone who has just died"

Marie lectured on the formula for creating zombie potions, and the methods of applying it through needles gathered from blowfish and cuttlefish. By the time she was done each student had memorized the formula, and the recipe for a zombie ward.

"This is going to come in handy next time Proffesor Sid grades mid terms." Liz said twirling a pouch of zombie warding along her finger.

"Hey Soul?"

"What Patty?"

"Can you put mine in Maka's pocket."

"What why should we do that." Soul questioned. He didn't understand why everyone was buying into this crazy ladies medicine bag. He had seen what a zombie was today and he doubted highly the little bag would have stopped Wes from giving Maka or himself less of a beating.

"Hey old hag, how do you stop a zombie from being a zombie." Black Star asked kicking the soles of Maries shoes.

"You need a potion, a potion only I can make. I will not tell you the secrets how though, because you can than release the zombies I have made. They are my indentured servants and there families sold them to me so I will not be givin' you the recipe."

"It won't work anyway Black Star, to stay human the zombie has to have a supply of that potion and must drink it regularly." Maka said opening her eyes. That's how the shadow priest and priestess keep the zombies chained to them through the antidote.

"You're a smart little witch aren't you." Marie said patting Maka on the head.

"Don't you think it's wrong keeping people as your slaves." Maka snorted.

"Their families paid me to make them into zombies, I didn't do it out of spite. If I didn't take them in what do you think their families would have done with them? Its mutually beneficial to both parties involved."

"It's wrong...blackmailing someone for medicine is just evil. To dangle a cure in front of their face but make them be your slave so they can stay alive."

"How long have you been awake?" Soul questioned.

"Long enough."

"So you don't like how I practice my religion miss grim reaper."

"No I do not."

"Lucky for me it is your boyfriend who decides who lives and dies and not you, or else I might be in a pine box and my spirit might be wandering about now."

"I don't murder people or con them into being slaves, unlike you."

"Do you know what cultural pluralism is little girl, it means that you find my religion unseemly because you have been raised in a different way brought up in a different culture, and your own social beliefs are imposed on me because you are a product of that society. Let me explain something to you, if you were brought up in Haiti, and had lived all your life in our churches, do you think you would find our society wrong. No because you would be a product of our society than and not where ever you came from, and the rest of the world would seem wrong to you. Not us. "

Maka couldn't argue with the woman's logic, she knew there was no such thing as universal truth, though she believed slavery was wrong. She believed blackmail was wrong, and she believed poisoning someone to make them think they were a zombie was definitely wrong. She could tell by the woman's tone though she had no chance of arguing this with her. She was to set in her own traditions and beliefs.

"It's wrong of you to impose your western beliefs on others."

"I am not a westerner though, I come from the east, and I still don't agree with what you're doing."

"As I said your boyfriend is more understanding about these things than you, you should ask death if what I am doing is wrong."

"Did someone mention me, my ears were just burning." Kid called back entering the warehouse again.

"Where did you go Kid-kun? I was surprised you weren't here when I woke up." Maka chided.

"Did you get everything done?" Elizabeth questioned looking Kid over from top to bottom.

"No there is one more but it's at the hospital, So I thought I'd take Maka and see if Stein and Spirit are well enough to travel home."

Maka smoothed out her hair."I think Papa would feel better being back at home to rest than in a hospital."

"And why can't the rest of us go?" Soul questioned annoyed.

"Because the hospital workers would get uneasy seeing the rest of you in weapon form, and Beelzebub can only carry two people." Kid answered in his monotone voice that revealed nothing.

Elizabeth laid her hand on Soul shoulder. "Kiddo said he has work at the hospital, it's best if we don't get involved."

"I don't see what kind of work he's going to be doing without his weapons." Soul growled annoyed.

Patty gave Soul a sharp kick in the back of leg. "Does she have to spell it out for you, he's got to go kill someone or take their soul, and he doesn't like people around when had to do the whole Shinigami thing."

"That's quite enough Patty, I'll bring Spirit and Dr. Stein back than well all go home. I'm sure the school can excuse us all for a day so we can get some rest. Just go ahead and get the mirror ready."

"So the Death God is going to take the lives in that hospital?" Dominic asked worriedly.

"Just one life, and it's time for me to leave. Maka if your coming... you need to."

Before Kid could finish his statement Maka hopped on the back of the flying skateboard "I'm going to check on my dad."

"We won't be much longer." Kid promised.

Soul grabbed Maka's arm nearly sliding her off the skateboard. "Maka why don't we just get someone to drive us you don't have to go with him."

"Soul let go, Really it's ok, I'm getting use to flying on Beelzebub, and I need to check on Papa."

Soul released Maka's hand like she had hit him. "Since when did you start carrying about what happened to you creepy old man."

"Someone pointed out to me that, maybe I was angry about the wrong things, and I should give him more of a chance."

"Someone meaning Kid?" Soul gave a lopsided smile and sighed. "Just go ahead and go, drag there asses back here so we can get home and get some rest."

"Amen to that!" Kid added trying to stifle another yawn.

"Be careful ok... If something happens to her I'm holding you responsible Kid."

"I'd have it no other way." Kid said kicking the skateboard into gear.

"Smug bastard why does he always got to have the last word." Soul yelled at Liz.

"Death always has the last word." Patty snorted.

Maka looked back into the warehouse uncertain, and then looked back to Kid.

"Kid do you think we can go see my dad now?"

"If you're worried about him of course we can leave, I'm surprised you didn't want to go right away." Kid replied sternly

"I don't want him to think...I don't know what I want him to think. He can be so stupid sometimes, it just makes me angry. I feel every time I see him I just want to pick a fight."

"It's called lashing out."

"You actually mad at your mother so your lashing out at him because he's closer."

"I'm not..." Maka stuttered "Well maybe I am."

"Your mom is not going to be angry if you love your father. It's not going to make her come back any quicker, just because you act like your mad at him all the time."

"I don't know what to do Kid-kun."

Kid gently squeezed Maka and pushed Beelzebub forward faster. " Let's go see how he's feeling."

"He and Stein are probably wondering what happened to the class."

Maka hid her face in Kid's back. It felt weird this time. Weird holding on to him, after sharing so much. She never would have thought it would feel like this, somehow her heart rose to her throat as she left the ground. Her wrists and hands felt cold and Kid felt relatively damp all over his body.

"Can you hold on a bit tighter please. Your making me nervous." Kid complained.

"Why so?"

"The back part of that storm is moving in and I'm still on guard, looking for any little thing that can kill you." Kid explained exasperated.

"Is that because you haven't had your medicine this evening?" Maka shouted over a loud clap of thunder.

Kid's whole body cringed. There it was again, those stupid comments about medicine that made him feel less than a man. Why was Maka joining Patty and Liz on this subject. He really hated the fact he had to take something to function in a semi-normal way. Just the word medicine made him irritable. Didn't Maka realize how serious this Oni business was. Just because Maka had decided to become a Shinigami didn't mean she was a Shinigami yet. She wasn't completely invincible, and some little thing, like someone running with a pair of scissors or picking up a cursed object was more likely to be the grand design than fighting some giant monster or a witch.

"I just think we should be cautious." Kid barked aggressively.

"Did I just make you angry?" Maka questioned.

"Every time I see things a different way either Patty or Liz or my father asks me if I had my medicine. Of course I haven't had it, We got stuck here. So yes my OCD is acting up and yes I'm probably a little bit antsy and belligerent. I just don't like it pointed out that I'm not normal."

"I'm sorry I didn't know you were sensitive about it."

Kid felt Maka's hand stroke his stomach her voice was soft and comforting. "You need to tell me these things. I can't read you most of the time unless were touching like this."

"So you can feel thoughts too through soul resonance as long as were touching."

"Yes, but just yours, when I touch you it's like there yelling at me from real far away. Sometimes it's hard to understand, and when you lose control, I can only hear one thing."

Kid's face blushed over, he clamped his hand over his mouth worried, He could think of two words that happened when his inner Shinigami blood flared up. Sex and fear, both had the same desired effect for him, and part of that scared him. The idea of being anything like his father and mother disgusted him. He knew death enjoyed giving people a good fright in his younger years, and his mother, well she might as well as been the Nobellesse Elizabeth Bathory in Kid's eyes.

Fear was the least thing he wanted to inspire in Maka." Maka are you afraid of me when I get like that."

"Not entirely." Maka explained "I mostly just want to slap you stupid."

Kid laughed. "I think that might be ok, I don't like that part of myself, and I don't like embarrassing myself either. So if you feel something weird is going on just hit me ok. You've got my permission to slap me out of it, even use the dreaded Maka-chop."

"Wow your really asking for it." Maka laughed whole heartedly.

"I love you, you can do whatever you want with me for that reason."

Kid skidded the skateboard to a stop in front of the building. The orange miasma trail was entering the building, just as he stepped off the board.

"Shit its already here."Kid said yanking Maka off the board quickly.

"What's here?" Maka questioned looking around

"The grand design it's here and its starting to work, were going to need to do the reap first than you can visit your dad."

"Kid-kun are you sure this is the place, I mean this is only a one story building it looks more like a post office than a hospital how can you be sure that this is the right address."

"Because the grand design is here, and its making its way into the building." Kid answered remotely.

Maka began looking around frightened. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, nothing felt out of the ordinary other than the hospital was so small. Her nerves gave her a cold sweat.

"I need you to take my hand. You don't have to do anything just make sure you holding onto me ok, I want you to come on the reap with me. If you're going to be a Shinigami this is going to be something you have to do."

Maka held out her trembling hand to Kid. Just knowing that death was at work around her made her frightened. As Kid took her hand, she watched the color drain out of the world. The thunder and rain seemed to stop and Maka noticed a light trail going inside the building. Kid's hand felt warm and he drew her next to him.

"It's ok it always looks like this."

Maka looked up into Kid's golden eyes and noticed they were amber. The orange miasma and fog streaked around him swirling his death robes, Kid eyes glowed like jack-o-lanterns on Halloween. His complexion golden and his hair swept around dramatically in the magic. Maka caught herself holding her breath. Kid was breathtaking something about the way the magic swirled around him looked like it should always be there. He looked sort of wild and gothic. His robes spun around him as if they were organic, and made out of the night itself. Kid was holding out his hand to her, his thin ivory fingers long and welcoming. At this moment Maka felt her heart thump louder than anything she had heard before. Even when they were making-out she didn't feel this captured by Kid stare. It was her first moment of lust she had ever had it made thing low in her tighten. Something about the way Kid looked seemed right. Maka pushed Kid's hand away and wrapped herself around his waist and buried her face in his stomach. A wave of possessiveness passed over her, and she held the boy tightly. It surprised Kid so much he nearly toppled over from embarrassment.

"Wow what did I do to deserve that."

"I just felt like hugging you all the sudden."

"Well hug away." Kid answered amused. "Just hold on to me ok the stream of light will take us where we need to be."

Maka wrapped her arms around Kids releasing his waste to hold onto his shoulders. "So this is the Grand Design, it looks like time lapse photography the way the light is streaking around."

Maka felt the ground begin to move around her, she wasn't walking but the strange force and the light moved them forward, it was like being pulled in a wagon, or being on a moving walkway in a airport. It felt strange. Part of her began shaking from nerves, she remembered suddenly that the grand design seemed to be seeking her out, that it was malfunctioning and now wading into a stream of it, didn't sound so practical. She cursed her hormones for choosing the most weirdest time in history of human kind to roar to life.

Maka berated herself mentally. I probably just came off like a fan girl at a Gackt concert. Souls right I am completely un-cool and have no sense of timing! What the hell was I thinking clinging on to him like that.

Kid stroked Maka's hair and returned the hug to her. "shh its ok don't be frightened. Your with me remember nothing can happen to you as long as your holding on to me like this. It's not here for you anyway."

"How do you know it's not here for me?" Maka enquired turning her face to the floor. She couldn't look Kid in the face right now. Something about that otherworldly power swaying around him just made him look too...delectable, and she needed her senses alive and awake considering how dangerous this situation seemed to be turning out to be.

"I just know it's not for you, it's kind of like a sixth sense. Just wait, its taking us to who needs our help."

Maka released kid with one arm but left the other one gripped onto his hip. She stood up strait and watched as the light blew her hair around like wind and moved them forward quickly. The light spun them forward to right to a old woman in a wheel chair. Their toes nearly touched the wheel chair they were so close to her. Surprisingly the women paid them no heed. She didn't even bother to look at them she just kept sucking on her oxygen.

"She's the one it's here for." Kid pointed to a old woman, who was coughing loudly. Her eyes were in tears, and she grasped a oxygen mask to her face.

"What is she dieing from?" Maka asked concerned.

"That part doesn't matter, were not here for her life, were here for her death. Now we have two choices at this point, and I'm going to leave this choice up to you since your here on your first reap. We can end her life ourselves, or we can let the grand design do it, since we beat it here."

"You mean we would kill her?" Maka said alarmed.

"No technically she's already dead, we just would remove her soul before whatever is going to happen to her happens. This way she'll get the light show and she won't have to feel anything."

"What's the other way." Maka asked quickly, she knew her fingernails were carving into Kid's flesh, she was frightened and didn't know what to do.

"The other way is we let the grand design take her, and we wait for her ghost to leave her body. The problem is with that is it can be damn near anything that kills her. I can tell you one thing though the grand design is hardly ever what you expect to happen."

"Which is less painful?" Maka questioned.

"Maka you need to decide or else were not going to have a choice in the matter."

"Which is less painful" Maka yelled again.

"I don't know, we don't know what the Grand Design is going to do, and I've never died so I can't tell you if the other way is painful or not." Kid explained calmly. "I can say one thing though, the souls don't struggle as much if we reap them, and it doesn't look like it hurts."

"I don't want her to hurt." Maka added quietly.

"Sometimes that's not possible," Kid explained "I think it's too late though, were out of time."

"What...what do you mean." Maka questioned with urgency.

Kid wrapped his cloak around Maka and stepped back from the old woman, Maka watched as another light filled the room this time it was purple. Things began feeling weird then, like spider webs had passed over her face. Maka rubbed at her face franticly trying to remove the wispy sticky feeling that clung to her.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have made you choose, on your first reap we probably should have just let the grand design take her." Kid spoke worried. "The spider web feeling is the grand design, its setting things into motion now on its own."

"Can we still help her?"

"Yes were still going to be able to help her but were not going to be able to control how she dies now. Once that purple light comes in we step back and get out of the way. Just remember the grand design is not something supernatural really it's not evil, it's not luck, it's not religious or anything. It's just a force. and once you see that amber light around someone, at that moment they are dead. They might still be breathing or acting normal but at that point there time has just ran out."

Maka watched as purple light filled the room and began braiding itself with the orange, it look like glitter was rising off the old woman and began moving its way into the rivers of amber light. She noticed the break on the woman's wheel chair magically unfastened as a purple haze of fog wrapped itself around the handle, and the woman began to roll forward.

Maka pointed, to the break on the wheel chair and Kid gave her a gentle smile. "The break"

"It's never that simple." Kid explained

The wheel chair began to roll forward. Maka watched as a nurse gave the old woman a smile and nodded to her. The woman just coughed more.

"Oh miss Annabelle look at you up and about." The nurse said pouring the woman a glass of water.

Maka watched as the Annabelle lady took the glass and gulped the water down greedily. She continued to cough and the nurse poured her another glass.

"We should do something." Maka whispered.

"I guess you're going to have to learn the hard way, same as I did." Kid explained nonchalantly.

"Whatever you do, you do not let go of my hand though got that. I don't want the grand design realizing your here all the sudden and set its sights on you too."

Maka gripped Kid's hand tightly and walked forward. The Shinigami's cape fell away from her body as she pushed her way through the light to the old lady. It felt like wading through water, but it was not wet just strangely sticky like a spider web, her flesh crawled as the power fell over her and she leaned in to the old woman to grab the wheelchair. Maka noticed that her hand passed through the handlebar of the wheelchair and took a step back shocked.

"What...why did it."

"Right now were in the never after, when we entered here it put us in a layer of reality that's just beneath the surface of what normal people perceive. You can't change things in here except for reaping a soul a few minutes before it's time. Or trying to find a ghost, or some other creature that lives in the never after. That's pretty much all you can do. It's probably for the best though, that keeps us from discriminating against those we feel are too young to die or people that we feel should have been dealt a better lot and so on."

"So when we entered that strange light, that looked like time elapsed photography, we really entered the never after."

"A layer of the never-after. The never after has many layers, sometimes you hear them referred to as the seven hells, but that really is bad wording, it just doesn't describe things that's well about the intricacy of death."

"Are you going to explain those to me?" Maka asked watching the purple light wrap around the woman hand and made her spill her glass of water.

"Yes, after you become a Shinigami, but not until then. I think it would be too much of a burden to carry if you remain human."

Maka watched as a orderly ran for a mop to clean up the water, and noticed he knocked a roll of toilet paper to the floor. The light enveloped the toilet paper, and sent it rolling into Annabelle wheel chair. The toilet paper seemed to get stuck on the wheel chairs wheel and followed Annabel down the hall way. Leaving a train of paper behind as it wrapped its way around the wheels of the chair.

"This is going to be one of those long weird setups." Kid proclaimed annoyed and moved Maka away from Annabelle.

"What do you mean?"

"You ever seen a picture called _To build a better mouse trap? _it's a made by Rube Goldberg.

"That's the inventor guy who came up with all those weird multi step machines right? Like a eight-teen step process just to make a piece of toast?"

Annabelle had another fit of coughing and struggled to catch her breath, Kid watched as the wind pushed a tree branch through the window, it flung in towards Annabelle the limbs snapping and flinging a broken branch right next the same wheel that was dragging a train of toilet paper down the hall.

"Good your familiar with his work than. The grand design works exactly like that, This is fathers style of reaping, when I'm in charge I'll bring order to this madness." Kid voiced youthfully.

"So Shinigami-Sama is here right now. " Maka questioned looking around for the familiar image of death.

"No this is his spirit at work, he does it unconsciously, if the netherworld were mine it would be different because my unconscious mind seeks order and balance, where his well. Honorable father is just plain weird and a bit of a flake now and then."

Maka rubbed her hands nervously "She is going to die from being away from her oxygen machine."

"No this is too big of a setup for it to be that simple. This is going to be one those stupid weird ways of dyeing, I've seen setups like this before. This is definitely a Rube Goldberger device at work. "

Maka watched as the nurse slid on the spilt water Annabelle had dropped and went sliding forward with a vase of flowers. Oddly the vase had a little card that read Annabelle on them. The nurse tripped forward the vase went soaring and cracked on Annabelle neck that made her cough and spasms even more. It caused the old woman to arch nearly out of her wheel chair, grasping at the shards of pottery clinging in her hair. She was looking for her oxygen now her breath hard and wheezing.

"Oh no Annabelle are you ok." The nurse squealed dusting Annabelle off.

The nurse heaved her wait into the wheel chair. Pushing against the stick that was lodged up against the wheels, trying to remove Annabelle from the pottery mess and spilled flowers. Finally with a good push the nurse dislodged the branch under the wheel chairs tire, and sent it flying up to the ceiling. It smacked against the drop ceiling, and sent a wad of wet toilet paper down towards Annabelle. Maka watched in horror as Annabelle coughed and spasm again. As her mouth opened up the flying spit wad dropped down into her throat silencing her.

"Dark Irony." Kid exclaimed with a voice full of stone. "I hate the ironic deaths like these."

Maka tried to free herself from Kid's grip to go to the woman to try to help her again but Kid held her still. Hiding her in his long black cloak, he stood there waiting.

"I fail to see the irony of this situation," Maka shouted back she was near tears now.

Kid lifted the flowers card from the floor and showed the name of the card to Maka, The flowers were get well soon flowers meant for Annabelle, and the old woman probably just wished that she could stop coughing.

Maka watched as the old woman turned blue the nurse completely unaware that the spit wad had jammed itself in her throat. She felt helpless. She knew it was the old woman's time but why did she have to die this way, so long so drawn out, so...so freaking weird!

Maka said each word slowly and carefully her lips trembling with anger."If you take over the netherworld this kind of thing will stop?"

"You bet your ass it will. I don't find anything humorous about death. My parents take the beauty and the love out of the process. They make it their play thing and I hate that."

It was the first negative thing Maka had ever heard Kid say about his father. Kid never swore, he never seemed to go against his father's wishes, but this side of Kid was truly conflicted. His Soul said he wanted to be a good son, to obey his parents, to win their affection that he felt he never got, but he was disgusted by their actions. Their beliefs and they way that they reaped. For Death the Kid it felt like the whole world was out of control, and it just left him spinning with confusion.

"Your right to feel the way you do. I understand why your upset." Maka said gripping the cloak around her tighter.

She felt Kid's arms envelope her and turn her away from the scene. "You don't have to watch till the end." Kid whispered darkly. "I don't want you to become cold to it like I am."

"What else can we do?" Maka said trying to bite down her anger and sob that was forming in her throat.

"Were not here to watch their life end, were here to make sure there life can begin again or go some place more gentler, or whatever it is that your religion tells you happens when they die. Were the good guys the ones that step in when medicine fails. We make sure they aren't afraid, and we help them to move on."

Maka looked up at Kid feeling less conflicted, and more empowered by his words. Kid wanted a gentler death for all people, he wanted people to slip into the never-after as comfortable as possible and there was something admirable about that. Something that Maka believed in.

"Kid-kun has a very big heart."

Kid gulped and blushed nervously. That wasn't what he thought. Kid felt indifferent to what they had seen he understood the importance of having people pass on correctly but he felt numb to the act of dyeing. Maka had been angry, Maka had wanted to cry, but was being strong and facing it with all her emotions caught in her throat. Kid wished he could remember what it felt like to be moved by watching someone die and couldn't. He ran his hand over Maka's cheek and watched as the purple energy began retreating from the room.

Sometime when the two of them had been conversing A code blue was called. The medical workers were looking to find why the woman had died and found nothing. They hadn't seen all the little events in slow motion like Maka and Kid so they struggled with the most obvious answer, the woman had come off her ventilator and her lungs and heart had gave out with all the shocking events.

As the last of the purple light left Kid hugged onto Maka. "It's ok now the purple is gone, that is the true form of the grand design. You can move around safely without me clinging to you."

"They are miss diagnosing her." Maka murmured her sympathy.

"They usually do, things happen so fast they aren't privy to the way we see things."

Kid released Maka, and made his way into the amber light. "It's best if you just stay back and keep quiet, I don't want her to notice you, it will confuse her more why someone is accompanying death. She won't notice you as long as you stand still."

Maka watched as the woman spirit raised out of her body. Gold dust fell around Annabelle's ghost, as if shearing away from her body had knocked dust out of her. Her spirit was more youthful than she had been in real life, she looked to be a woman in her twenties long black hair, dark chocolate skin, and lushes black eyelashes. She looked more like a model now. The gold dust swirled around the body from the woman chest, making a tornado of dust among the amber glow.

"Annabelle it's time to go see Pappa Legaba." Kid said softly.

"I got a call last night from my church lady, she said the children of the damn had come to dance among our parishioners, are you one of them."

Kid smiled brightly than. "Yes I am actually. Never mind what I said Maka its ok you can come over here on this one."

Maka took a step out of the shadows into the light. she noticed her skin had more color to it now, she wasn't just black and white anymore.

"Your church was very good to us, I'm sorry you had to miss the party."

"Now are you Obeah or..."

"Actually I follow the beliefs of the native gods from Africa, so I guess I would be a mix of Santaria, and Umbanda."

"I'm sorry I should have said Omulu then instead of Pappa Legaba." Kid explained.

"Boy did you see the way I died. Talk about going out with a bang!" The woman laughed. "I thought I was going to die on that damn machine"

"It doesn't bother you? That you died so..."

"Just shows you life is full of surprises."

"Most people aren't so amicable when something like that happens." Kid said with a snort of amusement, he shook his head in amazement. This woman was probably a handful when she was alive.

"So now what I walk around as a ghost? Do I go somewhere. Can I haunt my enemies? That nurse over there really drives me nuts! and that orderly I always knew that fat ass would be the death of me, he's been stealing the pudding off my tray for three months. Not like his fat ass needs it either."

Maka laughed whole heartedly. "You remind me of my aunt on my father side."

"Actually you get to go somewhere, with lucky you won't run across the nurse and the fat ass... er I mean orderly again."

"That's good to know, so what are you waiting for boy let's get to it! I'm ready, I've been ready Lets go. Let's go." The woman spoke merrily as if she were cheering for a sports team.

"Please take my hand than" Kid said extending out his arm, the woman grasped his hand and the ghost broke into gold dust, leaving a small blue ball of energy in the palms of Kid's hand. Kid compacted the ball into small little light and it went frantically whizzing around the room. Kid saw the light take a bolt for the window and it went flying out it as if he had thrown it like a baseball.

"You meet all kinds." Kid explained to Maka.

"She was...err..."

"Not a normal reap by any means but I'm glad she was your first. I'm glad she wasn't mad at the way honorable father does things."

"How did you know what religion she was?" Maka questioned.

"Hold on a second were not done yet." Kid said reaching down to the woman's corpse.

Maka watched as the orderlies and hospital workers stepped right through them. There images shattering like glass and reforming.

"Come here a second." Kid explained pulling Maka close to him. He untwisted Maka's fingers from her palm and laid his hand over the top her opened hand.

"At this point after the spirit has left we need to get the hour glass, I want you to hold out your palm and let your fingers glide into the woman's chest. You'll feel something hard and you want to pull that out."

Maka did what she was told feeling Kid's hand push hers into the woman's breast bone, it first was scratchy and hard than it was squishy, warm wet and squishy.

"Oh god that's nasty feeling."

"Quit thinking about it and get the hour glass." Kid said rubbing his cheek against Maka's.

Maka's fingers cleaved around a stone hour glass and pulled it from the woman's body. Her hand extended it to Kid and found only more of the gold dust was flaking off her hand. "What is it with the gold dust?"

Kid shook the last remains of sand into the hour glasses bottom and pocketed it in his cloak. "It's not dust, it's just sand actually."

"Ok than explain the sand to me. "

"It's the same stuff that in the hour glass you just pulled out of her."

"And why again did we need to pull out the hour glass."

"To return it to lord death. So it can be used again."

"So...so reincarnation is real!" Maka asked excitedly.

"I didn't say that." Kid said trying to quiet Maka.

The word was turning back to color so that meant the reap was complete. The amber and orange lights faded to nothingness, and finally a nurse stopped to look at the two of them.

"You kid's don't need to be standing there a woman just passed away."

"I'm sorry we were just looking for Spirit Albarn and Dr. Stein they were two patients admitted yesterday. They nearly drowned." Kid explained smoothly.

The nurse seemed to buy the lie and motioned the two of them down the hallway. "They are in observation, right outside the emergency ward. You're in the geriatrics ward right now, I don't know how you two got in here passed the observation desk but you need to leave now."

Maka looked down at her shoe and did a expression that made her look youthful her voice warbled into child like tones. "I'm sorry I just wanted to see my Papa we'll be leaving now."

"I didn't mean to be so stern," the nurse explained and began ushering the two down the hallway. "I'll show you where he's at."

The nurse walked Kid and Maka down the hallway to a duel occupancy room that had no walls only a curtain and a bathroom. At the moment Dr. Stein could not be scene but Spirit sat on one of the twin hospital bed's looking worse than when he had left.

Maka rushed over to him and planted a hug around his neck. "Are you ok you look awful."

Kid watched as Spirit looked surprised and outstandingly happy at the sudden burst of affection from his daughter.

Spirit nearly cried tears of joy looking at his daughter. He patted Maka on the head and rubbed his nose on her shoulder. "Maka were you worried about me?"

Maka let out a sigh of relief, she didn't even know she had been holding. "Are you ok, really?"

"Yes we are going to be released soon as the Dr comes in. It seems Stein didn't bother, to account for the salt in the ocean when it came to dehydration. Where are the rest of the students are the kids ok?"

Kid smiled happily about time she quit blaming everything on her father. "Yes they are quite fine, We have even lined up a mirror to step back through."

This brought a frown to Spirits lips, where was the octopus that normally clung to Maka. Why the hell was Kid so damn happy. Why the hell was Maka so concerned about him. Something was wrong, but Spirit couldn't put his finger on it.

"Where is Soul and Black Star Maka honey?" Spirit asked, he was in mother gorilla mode, and was happily grooming Maka's hair. Stroking her back and staring down at her lovingly.

"Oh we left them back at the warehouse with the class." Maka explained nonchalantly.

"So tell me did they pump your stomach?"

"No nature did that for us." Stein barked leaving the bathroom "Where are the others is the class ok."

"They're fine. Maka was worried about her Dad. If your well enough I suggest we leave and get home. We have big problems and I would feel more comfortable knowing all the student's are back in Death City."

"We were suppose to wait for the doctor." Spirit added pathetically. Spirit didn't want to release his baby girl not while she was being so loving, and concern.

"We'll take care of the bill get your things, it's best if you weren't even here, considering the disappearing act were getting ready to pull. Plus I don't want the cops to come and start questioning the two of you. I think they will have some concerns when they get a closer look at Steins head."

"Who died and put you in charge." Spirit growled grumpily.

"...you ought to get use to it." Maka mumbled into Spirits shoulder.

Kid caught what Maka mumbled and gave a low snort of amusement.

Stein looked both Kid and Maka over critically. "You two seem to be spending a great deal of time together lately."

Kid gave a soft blush and mouthed, "Were a couple now."

Stein watched a sudden change in Kid's demeanor he blushed more and made a sickeningly sweet face. His hands went to his cheeks to cover his blush and wobbled to and fro. Something about the movement just didn't look right on a man it looked more like a teenage girl, swooning over a boy band. Evidently Spirit had realized that too because he was staring at Kid in horror.

"Err. Kid what were you thinking about just then." Spirit questioned.

Kid looked frightened for a second and thought up a quick lie. "Just about that Jets game last weekend I'm just so happy the suspended that coach, um. Go dolphins!"

The lie worked smoothly and Dr. Stein and Spirit began conversing about the Jet's game and a number of other teams Kid hadn't heard of.

Maka bit her lip tried to stifle a fit of laughter. She took Kid's hand and exited the room so her father could get dressed. "You are a horrible liar Kid-kun."

"How do you know I lied. I might have watched that game." Kid complained indigently.

" Than what's your favorite team?"

"NFL Baltimore Ravens, AFL I like the New Orleans Voodoo and the Philadelphia Soul. But your right I didn't watch that game, football is something I can watch when I'm bored but not something I go out of my way to see."

"Sounds like you pick teams by mascot, same as I do."

"No the voodoo are pretty cool actually. There fans make every day look like Halloween, it's easy to sneak into a game, and not look weird. I've went a couple of times with Sid and Black Star."

"That doesn't explain how you knew about the accident did you read about it on the news?"

"No I reaped a bookie in Nevada last weekend and the guy was making a big fuss over it."

Maka couldn't contain her laughter anymore. "Your something else Kid-kun."

"You know I'd like it a lot if you weren't so formal with me. You can drop the honorifics I'm your boyfriend now, you can call me just Kid." Kid entwined his fingers with Maka's and looked down into her eyes. She was taking her first reap surprisingly well but then again it's all together different when the soul is ready to give up her life."

"Oh just for reference Maka who is your dads favorite team?"

"He likes about anything long as it's a sport. I don't think I know his favorite team actually."

"These are things that you should know about your dad, You do know that right?"

"What difference does it make if I know what football team he likes?"

"A lot of difference if your fathers a avid sports fan. Maybe it doesn't seem important to you but it's a guy thing and to a guy it shows you notice and care about them. Maybe if you took the time to learn about these little things, it wouldn't be so hard for you to talk to him."

"sheesh ok I'll find out. I don't see what my relationship with my father though has to do with him liking sports or not."

"Actually being observant is one of the most important traits for a reaper. It has more to do with me wanting you to succeed as a reaper than just you being able to talk to your father. Being a reaper means you have to be able to talk to all types of people and have a understanding of them on some level. You need to be impassioned about people so you can help them move on easier. It also helps to have a good understanding of religions as well, and be able to talk to them about their religious beliefs so you can make them feel secure about moving on. If you can't talk to a simple person like your father what kind of reaper will you be."

"You're afraid I'll turn out like your mother if I don't have these skills, aren't you?"

"I'm afraid that I'm blinded so much by my love for you, that I won't notice things later on, when I am content and happy."

"By teaching you now, this way I can assure myself that I am doing the right thing, that I can fix things and correct you while I still have the chance to teach you in the outside world. Most of all I want us to be better than the example my mother and father set. I want us to be the best of all the reapers in all the generations. Then maybe my father will realize that his way is wrong. That Belle Morte way is wrong."

"I understand that need. To want to surpass your father, to be better than anyone before you. Maybe you haven't noticed but I'm a little competitive."

"Trust me I've noticed." Kid said with a chuckle.

A little competitive wasn't the word for it. Everything was a competition with Maka. Lucky for Kid Black Star seemed to suffer the most of her wrath. Kid stretched his fingers forward bowing them out word to pop his knuckles. He hadn't considered on what would happen with his friendships when they found out he was planning on making Maka into something less than human.

Kid thought quietly to himself. Would they mind if Maka was Shinigami, how would they treat her as a lady of death. Kid had always been isolated from others. People were natural frightened of him since birth, even those of Death City were intimidated by him and treated him with a respect he didn't deserve or a revulsion for his work. He thought over the faces of his friends. He knew Patty and Liz would be fine with it, hell Liz might even be excited about the idea. Black Star and Soul though are probably not going to be cool with the idea, and I don't know if I know Tsubaki well enough to know what she will think.

"You seem deep in thought all the sudden."

"I was just thinking of what our friends are going to say, about you becoming a Shinigami."

"I'm sure Patty, Liz, Tsubaki and Black Star will be fine."

"You think Black Star will be ok with it."

"I think Black Star will want to become a Shinigami too. He'll probably kick yell and scream a lot. I'm sure he's going to want to know why you choose stupid helpless Maka over a big star like him." Maka made quotation marks with her fingers and gave a little chuckle.

"I hadn't really thought about that." Kid grumbled. "I think he will understand though why I chose you, Black Star is completely aware of how I feel about you."

Stein stepped from the door and snorted. "Young love how disgustingly sweet and annoying."

Maka looked up at Stein alarmed."Why is it annoying?"

"I just thought you were more intelligent Maka. Why waste time on trifling emotion like love, especially with someone you can have no future with. After all Kid is immortal, and is soon to become the embodiment of death and where will that leave you?"

Kid glared at Stein viciously. He didn't like to be reminded of that. Even if Maka was going to be with him. Stein had no right to tell Maka she was wasting time on Kid. Emotionless bastard, he just couldn't stand other people being happy.

"I think that the two of us will be ok together, that's really none of your concerns anyway." Maka mouthed off.

Spirit looked shocked. "Maka that's no way to talk to an adult, Stein just raised a valid concern."

Kid was now fuming. Spirit just wasn't giving up the issue.

"Maka is going to be a Shinigami, she not going to have to get old, and she chosen to become reaper like me, and I'm marrying her the first moment things settle down!" Kid blurted out belligerent.

Stein gave kid a bored look. "Kiddo have you had your medicine today?

Kid let out a stream of cussword that would make even a sailor blush. It was all Maka could do to pry Kid's fingers from the professors throat.

"So help me god I'm going to reap you and enjoy every minute of it. I don't care if it's not your time, You can sit in limbo for all eternity you mutant piece garbage! Why the hell didn't you put a screw on both sides of you head huh, Maybe it would have balanced out your sadistic personality as well as give you some kind of redeeming symmetry. Do you know how ridiculous you look. You're a monstrosity that's not fit to live! "

Maka wrapped her arms around Kid's throat pulling him into a headlock. In Kids mind she was just hugging him and being normal Maka.

"Maka love I don't have time to fool around with you right now, I play with you again later." Kid complained trying to make another dart at Stein.

Spirit went pale white, his eyes darted from Maka to Kid quickly, and a semi-maniacal look crossed his face. "I knew it, I knew it the night we came over for dinner you two were doing something obscene. You wolf your just trying to steal my baby away from me. Maka you tell daddy how much this boy has been pawing on you so I know how much I need to torture him before he dies!"

Spirit grabbed on to Kid and began shaking him back and forth and stomping on his head with the back of his shoe. Kid made no motion to block but just used Spirits movements to break free and run for Stein again.

"You can do whatever the fuck you want with me just let me kill Stein first!" Kid screamed back at Spirit.

This went on for a good five minutes, before Maka reached her boiling point. Mentally her mind made note of the hospital room. She strolled in and grabbed the thick holy bible that was on the nightstand, and slapped the book across the back of both Spirit and Kid's head yelling "Maka-chop."

Stein burst out laughing. "Jesus Kid might as well be Spirit junior. Good use of the bible by the way."

Maka let the book down the hardest on Steins head knocking him senseless. She hauled the three men up by the collar of the shirts and began dragging them out of the hospital. Maka noticed the thinning trail of orange light that was still leaving from the reap and stepped into it. She hoped it would have the same effect as before and would pull her away into the never after so she could exit the hospital without making a spectacle lucky for her it did. The world went black and white again except for the stream of light and the light pulled her and her lame cargo same as it did before. This time out of the hospital. At the exit of the hospital she slumped the three bodies up against the wall in a pile and flagged down a yellow cab. I need to get to the dock please, I know it's a few miles away but I just can't carry all three of them.

The cab driver eyed the girl wearily. She had a scary look to her eyes and face. Her clothes looked wrinkled and dishelmed. Her blond hair whipping about in the storm. Something inside the girl seemed inhuman and scary.

"maybe you should leave them here. they look like they need medical treatment."

Maka snorted "They are going to need more medical treatment if I don't get them to the dock."

"Please just drive.." Maka flipped Steins wallet to the cab driver.

The cab driver took a look inside and eyed the money greedily.

"You can keep it all if you keep your mouth shut. There should be quite a bit there since it was meant for our class field trip."

The cab driver took half the money out of the wallet and gave it back to Maka. "Do you need me to help you carry them."

With a burst of anger and strength Maka threw all three of the men into the back seat of the cab. She pushed at the odd entanglement of limbs pushing them into the cab clear of the door and took a seat up front with the driver.

"It's on a wharf, the warehouse I need to go to, its down by the ocean."

"I know where you're talking I'll get you there, and mum's the word."

The cab driver heard Maka mumble something into the window. "..worst field trip ever. I should have listened to Kid and skipped school with him."


	16. Chapter 16

**Forever In The Never After**

**A Death in the Family**

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Nearly four hours after everyone had returned through the mirror and back to DWMA team Maka lounged apart in a series of chairs outside Deaths door. Every student was properly debriefed by lord Death himself and his scythes on teleconference. There was too many students that had partaken in the field trip that understood nothing of what they had seen. Many other students spoke of zombies, and strange monsters, and in the end team Maka was the last to be interviewed, for they had seen the most and would take the longest to question.

Black Star and Tsubaki had given their accounts and were collecting there things to head home. Patty and Liz were separated from Kid to tell their version of the story, and had also been told to go home but had stayed around waiting for Kid. Maka and Soul were in Death's guillotine circled office now talking about their accounts of the events. After what seemed to be another hour, Tsubaki and Black Star left and Soul strolled from the office reluctantly and tapped Kid's shoe with his yellow boot.

"Your Dad wants' to talk to you ...with Maka. Then he's going to question you alone."

"Fabulous." Kid snorted rubbing the sore lump on his head.

"She thunked you good didn't she." Soul snorted amused.

"Yes, nearly as hard as my father." Kid's coughed a bit and gave a wry grin to Soul.

"Just imagine what I go through daily. Surprised I don't have brain damage."

"Who says you don't?" Kid said falling into step behind Soul.

"Well I'm not spelling backwards yet and sucking my meals through a straw so I think I'm still ok."

Kid looked at Soul and analyzed his behavior, obviously the little out spurt Kid had with Spirit and Stein had not been discussed with Soul. He hardly thought the boy would be this amicable after finding out Kid had conceded to Maka, and was planning on helping her to become a Shinigami.

"...Soul how would you feel if." The words had caught in Kid's throat, and a sudden wave of embarrassment and shame stopped Kid from continuing his sentence. It was too soon to tell Soul about Maka's intentions. After all Kid had just stolen the guys girlfriend, now what was he suppose to tell him, _Oh by the way Soul I plan on helping her take her life too, in a way that will let her live forever with me so I don't have to be alone in the seven hells, you won't mind will ya buddy? _Kid adjusted himself so he could stand up taller. No that was a conversation that would have to wait.

Kid felt a wave of self loathing overcome him. He didn't want to be alone in the Never After. Now that the opportunity had presented itself, he was clamoring on to the dream desperately. Maka had said she wasn't going to do it out of mere love though and this had been a little disappointing to him, but he understood the practicality of the words. She had said that it wasn't a strong enough reason to become a Shinigami and Kid sort of understood that, Maka was doing it for her own reasons as well.

Whether it be because she wanted to make the ultimate sacrifice for humanity, or if it was just because she wanted a love that would never break down or be torn away from her Kid could not fully determine her intentions. He just knew that any reason was good enough long as he wouldn't have to be alone. As selfish as the words felt, he couldn't help but feel pleased, his company would be clever and beautiful, a girl he admired and had even liked. Much better than some unknown arranged marriage, or better yet the alternative, eternity alone.

Kid was debating now just how to help Maka carry out her chain of sin that would allow her to become a Shinigami. He couldn't help her poison herself, the Oni were still lurking around and he didn't think he could take watching Black Star leap off another cliff with her again. So exactly how the hell were they going to endanger her life enough to cause a turning point yet have Maka survive the experience.

Kid's thoughts reeled in his mind. He reached out mentally and found Maka, before he walked into the room. It was getting easy to synchronize with her. Kid reached out with his own soul and there link snapped together as he took her hand.

"You wanted to speak to the two of us together honorable-father and guests?"

Spirit stalked over to Kid angry. "Yeah I wanted to speak to you! What the hell did you mean by saying you're going to make my daughter into a Shinigami."

"That sort of slipped out." Kid half lied. He had been angry at Stein, telling them he had no future with Maka. Angry enough to spout out something foolish and give away part of their plans.

"You're making a big deal out of nothing." Maka complained with a huff.

Kid noticed the veins on Maka's forehead beginning to pop up, she was trying to not yell at Spirit. Her attempt at calming though sounded more like blowing him off, and Spirit seethed at her angry. Spirit began a tantrum of cursing and yelling that made absolutely no-sense to anyone but himself.

Yumi Azusa was the first to speak out over the large tele-monitors. "Becoming a Shinigami is a big deal your father has the right to be upset. "

Kid felt Maka probing for something in the back of his brain. She was looking for something Kid's more recent thoughts flowed into Maka's mind, and she looked at him casually.

Maka thoughts streamed into Kid's and she left a question in his mind that only he could hear. "Is it ok if I use that as a excuse."

Kid blushed a bit in reality and nodded his head to Maka. Maka took in a deep breath to steady herself, and gripped Kid's hand tightly.

"Kid has reconsidered the idea of an arranged marriage." Maka stuttered.

Lord Death looked up startled and amused at the same time. In a jolly voice he let out a eerie bit of laughter. " Is that so."

"It's got to be to Maka though, I wasn't planning on bringing it up so soon but Stein was provoking me, and I got angry, I hadn't took my medicine for two days and I blurted it out without thinking how it would sound to Spirit-sama or Dr. Stein. It's just a thought that's been rattling in my mind. I haven't even had time to discuss it with her father or..."

Maka placed a hand over Kid's lips to stop him from rattling on frightened. She had known in a way Kid was confessing for real not acting or trying to spin a lie and somehow this sort of confession made her uncomfortable and embarrassed. She felt the red grow in her cheeks, and her sinuses pounded against her brain. She gulped down air hard and eyed her father. Spirit had went to belligerent to stoned. The color had faded from his face he looked pale and slightly green. The bright blue veins showed through his skin and made him look like he was undead.

"Arranged marriage." Spirit gulped and ran for the wastepaper can. Within second Spirit was vomiting behind lord Death desk. The foreign Death scythes mad a face of disgust and proclaims of dismay at Spirit.

Marie lord Deaths hammer clapped her hands together happily completely ignoring Spirit. "Married, oh how sweet that explains everything Kid-kun you were just nervous and thinking about your first girlfriend, and it came out all wrong and you were just misunderstood."

Maka heard Kid yell something in the back of her brain she could tell that the thought was directed at Marie. "Score! That a girl you understand perfectly and the others will believe you more than me."

"She's only what fifteen? sixteen? that's too young to be getting married." Yumi yelled out to Marie.

"Duh, its a arranged marriage it doesn't have to happen right away, Yumi you should understand your Asian."

"Just because I'm Asian doesn't mean I understand why women allow themselves to be arranged in marriage. That's feudal era bullshit, only wealthy children born to big corporations do that kind of thing anymore. That's completely racist to think all Asian women are sold off with some sort of dowry."

Marie gave a excited smile and continued to ignore everyone else her gaze turned back on to Kid. "I didn't know you two were dating, Kid-kun you must be ecstatic you always had a thing for Maka and now she's finally noticing you. You look so much more mature too, It looks like spring has come for Death the Kid and you are finally blossoming into a confident young man."

Kid felt his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment, Marie always was too verbal and sentimental. Even if she had lead the conversation in a alternative direction, and skipped over the fact that Maka would have to be a Shinigami to have any certain future with Kid. Her announcements were just adding more fuel to the fire, for Spirit. Kid heard another lurch of vomiting come from behind the desk, Spirit body curled into a more fetal position as he tried to gather himself behind the desk.

Maka gave a snort of amusement at Kid ignoring her father, she watched Kid squirm under her gaze. "Always? Seems like I'm the last to know."

"Marie is very perceptive about things in her own way. " Kid said covering a embarrassed smile on his lips.

"I'm very happy for you Maka-chan, When did Kid-kun confess was it recent how did he do it, I want to know all the details." Marie chirped.

"Your embarrassing us Marie, please, as you said I haven't planned to much of anything yet."

"It was over a fondue pot actually. Kid made me a fondue dinner and we talked and found out that we had a lot more in common than I thought."

"Fondue is pretty romantic date for someone your trying to get to notice your alive." Yumi complained both suspiciously and wistfully at the same time. Maka watched as Yumi's eyes softened a bit as Marie continued on with twenty questions aimed primarily at Kid. Evidently Kid and Marie had talked more often than Maka had realized.

"Do I have to listen to this." Marcel the scythe from Africa complained.

"I was thinking the same." Xin Wei the weapon from China added.

"Ignore them Marie, I am frankly interested, at the idea of having another Shinigami join the family of Death and would like to know more." Lamont voiced in his heavy Italian accent.

Maka had never seen these three men before. It was obviously they were Death Scythes as well but Lamont well, Lamont had cascading black hair that fell in curls all over the place. The man struggled to keep them out of his eyes, and he turned a seductive look on Maka.

"So what would make one want to be a Shinigami, is it the prospect of being immortal, or are you just in love?" Lamont purred at Maka.

Maka felt her heart jump, there it was again that feeling, the one that had made her break into a sweat over looking at Kid-kun. She struggled under the man's gaze, he was gorgeous but not as gorgeous as...Maka looked Kid over again. Yep definitely not as pretty as Kid, even if Kid did look more normal and approachable right now, than when he went into reaper mode. Kid was still cuter in almost every facet. Maka looked over the man's strait jaw line and strong features, his voice was filled with sex. Something that made Maka even more uncomfortable, so she confronted him the only way she knew how, and that was combatively. She looked back at the man more confident under his stare and drew her body back tight and militant. Before she began to speak.

"My time on this earth is nearly up. Either I go into the Never-After and postpone my Death, I become a Shinigami and help my loving boyfriend, or I die." Maka felt her voice fill with sarcasm.

"Those are my three choices."

Lamont looked unsatisfied and his gorgeous features twisted into one of a sneer, "None of those are good enough reason to let you become a Shinigami."

"Tell them the real reason, the one you thought of in the hospital." Kid spoke clearly into Maka's mind. It wasn't static filled like usual nor did it sound like he was talking from the bottom of a barrel now, it was crisp, as if he had said it out loud. Maka face had actually snapped to him thinking he had voiced it in front of Lord Death.

Maka looked into Lord Shinigami's empty sockets and tried to find the words that summed up how she felt without being rude.

"I want Death to be a gentler process...and the process of passing over to be less chaotic. I want the people involved to be less conflicting even though they have died. I guess I just want to make them comfortable and happy and know they are not alone. I want to be a Shinigami so I can bring balance to the world and the Never-after. Maka explained using Kid's words."

Death's empty socket stared back at her. He was unchanging and unmoved. "You sound like Kiddo-chan that alone is enough of a reason to allow you to get married in my eyes."

"You can't mean that Lord Death." Lamont yelled back.

"Do you think I want my only son to walk this planet alone for the rest of his life. I'm a parent after all, all parents want their children to find happiness, in whoever they see fit. Besides I know Maka, and she tries hard and she is a very good girl. I'm sure Kid would be happy with her, I just wish I would have noticed it sooner, when I was looking over perspective marriage candidates for my son." Death sang out whimsically.

"Your forgetting there are two parents that needs to consent to this." Spirit growled angry.

Spirit raised himself off the floor as if invisible strings had yanked him up. He swiped his mouth on his tie before tossing it in the trash. "I will not allow Maka to become a Shinigami."

"Papa we can talk about this later at home."

"There is nothing to talk about, Lord Death I do not agree with this decision, I will not consent."

"Spirit-sama there is more going on here than you realize. I would like time to speak to you alone, but right now I think we all need to be contemplating on what we are going to do if Belle Morte and Kami-sama have changed sides." Kid pleaded.

"Kami?" Spirit looked at Kid as if he had slapped him in the face. Kami was the forbidden name to speak, all the life drained from Spirit again, his face showed with raw emotion and need, Kami was the one thing Spirit lips never wanted to talk about.

"Maka tell them what you and Soul overheard."

"Murder had said that Deaths wife and a blond meister from Japan was fighting for a seat next to someone called the Baron. Murder had bragged that she was just going to stand back and let them kill each other."

"That doesn't mean that it's Kami." Spirit said relieved.

"How many blond meisters from Japan have there been Pappa, think about it." Maka soothed gently.

Maka un-grasped Kid's hand and rested both of her palms on Spirits cheeks. She wanted to make sure Spirit was paying attention that he wasn't running from reality, she wanted him to hear what she had to say.

"This might be my last big mission Papa, were going to try to make me into a Shinigami but if things don't work out right. Or if something happens when we go after the Lazarus thieves or maybe we just screw up all my turning points. I want you to know that I realize you weren't completely responsible for everything that happened in yours and Mamma's marriage. I realize you cheated because you were missing something from Mamma. I understand now that she left us too. So in the long run though you might be lecher and cheat, I know you are not fully to blame. I appreciate that you were here with me and I don't blame you anymore for Momma leaving. But if Mamma is a part of this Lazarus madness, then we have to stop her. If Mamma has turned on Shibusen than she is our enemy and she must stopped."

Spirit fell to his knees crippled by Maka's words, his head was spinning. The words just didn't make sense. Maka was forgiving him she was trying to make things right, but Maka might possibly die soon. Spirit lurched again and felt the vomit rise in his throat. Her voice sounded like someone who worried that they were going die, worried that it was over with and wanted to make peace. The feeling of dread overlapped Spirits body, tightening all his muscles. This couldn't be happening Maka was too young to die, they had just talked about her getting married, and what was the other possibility Death, there had to be another solution.

"I'm bringing Maka to you today Lord Death please keep her in the never after till this is over." Spirit said solemnly.

"It's not that simple," Maka pleaded. "Soul brother is freaking mad, Mama is going to be the same way and Kid's mother is twisting Death into a abomination unto humanity. Not to mention that there is this murder witch and still some one we don't know called the Baron. Papa they have got to be stopped."

"Yes they do but that doesn't mean you have to be a part of it." Spirit mouthed quickly.

Spirits tone raised and fell angrily and he bared a mouth full of shark like teeth similar to one of Souls expression. "If it's your mother than I will take care of it myself. I'm not going to have you out there risking your life if your approaching a limit to your time anyway."

"It's not your choice to make." Kid whispered quietly.

Lord Death put a hand on Kid's shoulder and crossed the room to Spirit. "Spirit I need to talk to my son now. I know your upset and worried and you and the other scythes have a right to be so but Kiddo is going to be the next embodiment of Death and I need to know some things about what he's thinking before we make any decisions."

With a flick of Deaths wrist the monitors turned back to ordinary mirrors silencing all of Deaths weapons protests.

"There's nothing to discuss" Spirit spat out angry. "Your son is messed with the progression of my daughter's life. You can't just expect me to let her fight and possibly die."

Kid wanted to yell at Spirit and explain what he was trying to do, but could see there was no sense in talking to him while he was this angry. Spirit was blaming Kid for the acts of the grand design, and Kid had absolutely no control of it.

Maka hugged her father and half lifted him from the floor. "If you're done speaking with me, I'd like to go home." Maka tapped Kid on the shoulder with her fist before wrapping him a headlock sort of a hug. "Go to sleep, after you get done here."

"I'll try to get some rest and call you later."

"If I don't answer it's because I'm a sleep or taking care of him," Maka said pointing a thumb to her old man. "I don't see how you can just run and keep going even though you haven't rested a lick in three whole days, I've had more sleep than you and still feel like I'm dragging."

Kid wormed his way out of Maka's grip and kissed her on the forehead, he wanted to do more but that motion alone had sent Spirit nearly lunging for him. Kid deftly side stepped the scythes arm and turned back unfazed. "You sleep well ok, I love you."

Maka opened her mouth to say something but eyed her father first. She shut it and gave Kid her version of sensual smirk which looked more like a nervous little girl blushing and biting her lip and mouthed the words back with her lips, trying not to make a sound.

"Be gentle with Spirit ok, No rough stuff with your Dad, remember he just got out of the hospital."

"I'll try." Maka said grabbing her father by the back of the neck, and hauling him from the room.

Kid waited until Maka was out of earshot. " I know it might not look like it but Maka really is making a conscious effort to communicate better with her father."

Lord Death swung around in his chair to face Kid. "Oh I can see the subtle difference don't worry."

Kid watched as Lord Death rose from the chair his organic robe wrapping around him as he moved. He directed Kid to the mirror that lead to the netherworld .

"You look tired son. Tell Patty and Liz to go home and get some rest, and you'll be staying in the netherworld for the night."

Kid winced a bit. That meant this was going to be one of those really long talks, he looked into his father's empty sockets, and walked to the end of the hall, and poked his head out the door.

"Go on home." Kid called to Liz

"What, no way, didn't you tell him you haven't slept in three days can't it wait." Liz argued.

"He knows I'm sure."

"Kiddo-kun, is sleepy though." Patty whined and pouted at the same time.

Kid walked away from the room and scooped Patty up in a hug and grabbed Liz's hand with one of his.

"I'll be fine girls honest."

Patty pushed her face into Death the Kid's crinkled shirt. "You sure?"

"I'm positive."

"What should we do if Maka calls?"

"She's taking care of her father tonight, I think she's going to have her hands full between him and Soul."

Liz tapped her foot impatiently. "So what does he want to talk about that's going to take him so god damn long that he's sending us home."

"My engagement and the possibility of turning Maka into a Shinigami."

"Engagement!" Liz spurted out quickly

"You want to turn Maka into a reaper?" Patty squealed shocked.

"Kid-kun what are you thinking." Both girls shrieked at the same time.

Liz began pacing the floor with Patty mimicking her every movement. "You proposed, holly shit Kid, you could of told us, you've what only been seeing her a month right. Did you even have a ring."

"Does Aniki really want to be engaged."

"Yes absolutely, but I can't talk about it right now, and it's not official yet."

"No wonder Maka's Dad was on the warpath when they left."

"I promise I'll tell you girls everything after I finalize some things with father."

"You mean almost everything." Patty snorted, her voice fell into her Brooklyn accent for a second before she twisted her face back into a image of her sisters.

Kid squeezed Patty again to reassure her, "It will be ok. Just go home get some sleep, he's probably going to make me spend the night so don't wait up and go ahead and have dinner. There is still of more of those things Maka made in the fridge and the lasagna, has only been in there two days so it's probably free of any biological contaminants or deadly bacteria."

"Did I just hear that correct your actually condoning eating leftovers more than one day old." Liz complained sarcastically.

Patty began kicking and screaming with laughter. "I thought Kiddo said food is dangerous if its more than a day old. It get salmon-vanilla."

Kid flipped his bangs out of his eyes and blew the loose strands away. "Salmonella...Yeah amazing what love can do huh. Besides it will be you two eating it not me."

"We'll don't forget you have to tell us everything about this engagement, when you get home."

"And the Shinigami thing too," Patty added after Liz.

"I will, I will, jeeze just leave already so I can get this over with, better yet take me with you." Kid whimpered.

"Go talk to daddy dearest than, and tell us everything tomorrow."

"I'll try." Kid whispered to himself his body slumped over defeated and Kid walked back through Deaths door, and found his father looming there silently. He watched as Lord Death latched the dead bolt to his office and motioned for Kid to step through the mirror.

"Is this really necessary." Kid groaned.

"You haven't been taking your medicine you haven't been sleeping, and your cutting your elders to a short, I'd say this is more of a intervention."

"Maka came with me on a reap today. She saw one of your more uglier ones." Kid said changing the subject.

"Oh how did she take it."

"The same way I did she thought it was horrible. She believes in you and she doesn't know what to think anymore. Can you at least try to reap people in a normal fashion."

Death gave Kid a rather blank expression, and hulked his son up to his body as if he were a toddler. "Seems like just yesterday I was changing your diapers. Now you're trying to grow up on me and you think you can tell me how to do my job."

"I'm a grown man put me down this instant." Kid spat out horrified.

Kid was instantly glad the two of them were alone. He couldn't stand the thought of his over endearing father coddling him in front of the Scythes or worse yet Maka.

"Your still my son, and you're tired. Look at you your completely spent. Not to mention horribly moody. You really need to think about carrying your medicine with you everywhere. So you don't get caught some place, and have a panic attack."

"Yes that's a great idea Dad. How great would it look for the Grim Reaper to be popping pills for his nerves, that's really inspiring isn't it! That will just make people want to hop right on into the light."

"On a happier note it's been getting better, I've been having less attacks than I usually do and I have been skipping doses here and there."

"That's probably because Albarn's daughter carries a grigori soul, it fights madness and in your case lessens your OCPD."

Kid blanched for a moment and quit struggling against his father. Was that what is was, he had thought he had been getting better on his own, but it was Maka after all. He felt extremely disappointed and rather hurt at the insensitivity of his fathers words.

"She's a good choice for you. I imagine that soul of hers works better than any medicine you can take. I don't know if you should become completely dependent on her though. It probably would be good to carry around just a few pills in case of emergency."

"I don't want to use Maka as some type of anti anxiety drug! I love her, please don't talk about her that way."

"Ok as you wish. But the fact remains your still tired and flat out grouchy, I demand for you to get some rest, and I will lock you in your room till you do! You are my only son and I can't help but be protective of you."

"Is that what this is?" Kid said pointing to his father who was still carrying him inside the manor to his old bedroom.

"Indulge your father. You are all that I have left of my humanity."

Kid struggled out of Death arms and gave him a strong hug. Death didn't make a move to pick him back up again. He seemed more satisfied at the display of affection.

"Don't worry dad I'm working on that part I promise you. I'm going to take over the family business for you soon and you won't have to worry about so much."

"Take your time Kiddo there is no reason for you to be rushing to become an adult, just so you can put me into retirement. If it wasn't for work I don't know what I would do all day."

"About that... how would you like it if I could give you a couple days out of the netherworld, I know you can't leave Death city but I think if I use my powers to replace the bonds that chain you inside the never after you may be able to go out a bit and walk around maybe you could follow Spirit around go out to a bar or something, enjoy yourself?"

"It's been centuries since I left the netherworld, I don't know how to act around normal people." Lord Death said rubbing his hands together anxiously.

"It not like Death City has a lot of normal people... Besides you would have Spirit with you he could show you the way to behave and point out things that may be inappropriate."

"But that would leave you stuck in here...While I'm out there."

"I won't mind it, I'm going to be taking over anyway, it will probably be easier for me to concentrate on all the paperwork. Hey I might even be able to reorganize the hour glasses and catch up on the books from the soul reconstitution and recycling sectors."

"No-one can fix those two sectors, only your grandfather could keep those to areas of hell organized, and that was because he was a militant son of a bitch. He makes those demons at the IRS look like angels."

Kid chuckled a bit and walked into his bedroom and sat down on the center of the bed. It wasn't often his father talked about his own father. Kid himself had never met the man and much of his family tree was clouded in mystery. Heck he didn't even know what type of relationship his father had with his grandfather. All that Kid could understand is Lord Shinigami loathed be compared to his father, and had made it his life work to being completely different than him. Because of that loathing, the seven hells were very disorganized. Which drove Death the Kid completely bonkers.

Lord Death began stripping of his reaper mantel and the boney gloves and masks and abandoned them on the floor so he could sit next to his son. The resemblance between father and son was obvious. Lord Death had black hair striped with three bands of white, his frame tall, lean and muscular eternally trapped in his late twenties. He could easily pass for Kid's older brother with some subtle differences.

Where Kid's hair was A -symmetrical his father's was haloed around his head. Where Kid's eyes were gold, his father's were burning red. Lord Shinigami's face was slightly more angular and covered with dark stubble. His lips more full and slightly pouty his nose more long and distinctively French, his eyes were also more narrow and slightly sad but there were other more obvious things that separated the two of them.

Kid took in his father's clothes and appearance and snorted with distaste. Kid realized his father probably didn't bother to shave again today. Death was still wearing his bathrobe and slippers under his mantle, he obviously hadn't showered or bothered to change from his pajama's either. His wavy black and white striped hair hung down to his shoulders, and was in need of a trim. His finger nails were slightly too long to be that of a man. His hair was hanging ever which way but down.

"You need to quit doing this, you don't take care of yourself properly." Kid complained. "And further more Patchouli oil does not take the place of bathing!"

"I didn't feel like it today." Lord Shinigami rebutted solemnly. "It's not like anyone ever sees behind the mask and the cowl anyway. Besides Death should smell like grave yard dust."

Kid tugged on his father's bathrobe. "I know your depressed but you need to make a effort to get out of bed and groom yourself properly. This is unacceptable. Just because mom left doesn't mean you can just stop living."

"You're the only one that see's me without the mask, and you hardly ever come over. What's the point of getting all dolled up if there is no one to see me or nowhere to go."

"If I get married it will be more than just me and you here, Maka will see you too and you don't want her to see you so frumpy and depressed all the time do you? She looks up to you like your Zeus, she has no clue what your really like. Do you really want to break that image she has of you?"

Kid watched Lord Death face turn to one of contemplation. "No I guess not."

"You're really serious about this engagement? Kiddo-chan I hate to ask you this and know this is going to make you angry but this thing with Albarn's daughter, it's not just because you don't want to reap her soul is it?"

Kid felt a wave of guilt cross inside him but managed to keep a blank expression. He thought about what his father had said before answering.

"The fact is I'm in love with her, and the moment she started loving me back it turned my whole world upside down. Things I thought I knew for certain seemed less certain, I always thought I would be alone, that I was too weird and too different for someone to love, and then she does all these little things. Little ways to try to protect me and take care of me, and now..."

"Your hopelessly in love with her?" Death dropped the jovial accent. His voice filled with a deep rich baritone. This was the voice that Kid new, the voice that Lord Death used only with his son. He sat on the bed next to Kid. Death ran a pale hand across his son's forehead and motioned for him to lay down while he talked.

"Yes! That's it, she ignites something in me, that makes me want to be stronger, to be a better man. I know it sounds stupid but it's like she brings out the best in me."

"That's interesting I know when I was with your mother, I spent more time trying to control my darker desires."

Kid felt worry grow in his stomach. "Those darker desires, do they come on by sensing fear?"

"Well yes, that and other things."

"What happens if those darker desires take control of you, and your trying to be intimate?"

"Are you questioning from experience?" Death snorted amused. His lips curled into a rather devious expression.

Kid gulped and tried to hold his stomach together. "I won't hurt her will I, I couldn't live with myself if I hurt her?"

"It doesn't work that way with lust. The heightened Shinigami awareness really just pushes you more farther than most, it's like a drug or alcohol it lowers you inhibitions. Think of it like this, if your happy and excited, it will help you and your partner to connect and be more happy and excited."

"What if it seems to want to make her afraid."

"You won't, don't worry about that."

"How can you say that!"

"Because your my son and I know you won't. There isn't a man on this earth that doesn't feel excited when there with a woman who is a little bit nervous. The nature of men in general is to conquer, they want to feel a woman submit to them. Everything you are feeling is completely normal. Being Shinigami even makes it more so. A little fear can go a long way with our kind Kiddo-chan, and your lady friends will be satisfied with the overall experience. It works as a aphrodisiac with both our partners and are ourselves...I do suggest that you don't bring up any of this with Spirit though. I think he might be even more upset with you if he knew for a fact you were fooling around with his daughter."

"I didn't plan on telling him... But really we haven't gone that far yet, it's been more like kissing and heavy petting."

Lord Death ran his hand over Kid's hair crumpling it up. "I'm glad to see your finally interested in a girl, you had me worried there for a while."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well you live with two beautiful young ladies and never lay a hand on them. You seem more interested in girlish romances novels and cooking than you ought to. Then of course there is the aprons and bandana's when your cleaning..."

"I'm not gay!"

"Well there would be nothing wrong if you were, but as I said I'm happy to see your finally thinking like a normal boy for a change! Finally something I can connect to you with, I was beginning to think you were your granddad made over, and the only thing you were going to be interested in was the universal balance of life and having things run orderly."

"Grandpa was like me?"

"Yes completely, everything had to be just a certain way."

"There are other ways you are different than him though. He was a real battle axe! Never had time for anyone or anything but work, and he drove your grandma mad, constantly criticizing the way she cleaned and did things."

"What happened to Grandpa?"

"Grandma got feed up and took a scythe to him while he was drinking one night. No one ever found the body though... And I only heard that part from my Aunt Marge, and she was always jealous of Mom. So who knows if it's true."

"Is it normal for all the women reapers to go crazy. I'm not going to drive Maka mad am I?"

"I don't think so. For one Maka is a grigori, that makes her immune to madness on a certain level. For two your more conscious of the little things that set people off and you try to avoid them. So I think the two of you will be fine."

"Your worrying too much though, you should get some sleep."

Kid yawned. "I can't I still don't know what were going to do about mother... We haven't even discussed her yet."

"Kiddo there is no reason to worry about that tonight, it's not like she's here or anything, and she can't hurt you while you're in the netherworld. Shinigami are indestructible in the netherworld. Because this is our reality and we control it."

"I'm not afraid of her, I just don't agree with what she's doing and think something must be done to stop her."

Lord Death pecked his son on the forehead. "I'm going to go fetch you some supper, and some of your medicine. I want you to stay here and relax, I'll wake you when its ready."

"You're going to make time pass slowly aren't you."

"Yes, you need to sleep and I want to spend some time with you before you go globetrotting across the world again."

"Dad you know I love you right?"

"Of course I know. You wouldn't complain so much about me shaving and cutting my hair if you didn't care." Death chuckled.

"Speaking of which I want to give you a trim when I wake up."

"Of course..." Death soothed "Just rest now"

Kid felt his eyes fall heavy he rose from the bed and slid his shoes and clothes off, and threw the crumpled things in the hamper. He opened the curtains of his room to look out into the netherworld. The other worldly purple haze and waves of souls gathered along the sky. The souls themselves shined like bright blue fireflies and danced around streaking tails of energy as they headed for the hilly region of Death citadel. Kid felt calm and comfortable staring out the familiar view from his window and slid between the sheet of his bed.

"No matter how long I'm gone this still feels like home."

Kid slumped into the bed and wrapped the blankets around his bare form and let his eyes follow the souls over the hills. It was calming, and tranquil here. Everything felt complete. His eyelashes fluttered closed and soon he began murmuring in his sleep.

It wasn't long till dreams captured his mind. Anxiety dreams filled his head. Kid was running away from something, he couldn't see Maka's coat tails were flapping in front of his vision. He ran faster to catch up but Maka stayed out of reach.

Kid called out to the hallucination. "Maka wait up for me please."

Maka didn't turn she just kept running.

Kid felt a stitch form in his side, his face twisting in panic. "Please Maka I don't want to be alone. Please don't leave me."

As Kid fell further into sleep a bird landed on the edge of his window. The white face of the barn owl pressed its face against the glass and flapped its wings against the glass panes, and undid the windows latch. Kid rolled gently over away from draft that seeped in to the room continuing to fall deeper into slumber. The birds shook its golden wings violently and its feathers cast off into that of a cloak and a woman.

The woman watched and waited for any signs of the boy to awaken before dropping a ankle length tanned boot to the floor. Her hands ran over her snow white hair, which clung in large curls atop her head in a À la Belle Poule. A style that Marie Antoinette had made popular in 1758 and one that Belle Morte continued to wear. The woman shook her feathered cloak out, and ran her hands down her grey stockings. She was lucky not to snag them on the window seal. She adjusted her white bodice to allow her to breath more and slid across the floor to the bed. Her taloned opera length white gloves extended to the sleeping boy.

Her melting gold eyes fell on to the boy and her lips pouted in a arrogant manor.

"I would sooner drown you in a Lazarus pit myself than let you bring another woman into this cursed family." she cooed.

Belle Morte examined her son. He was less youthful than she remembered. He looked more like lord Death now, than the short stocky little boy she had raised.

" You have become the image of your father and now you seeking to trap women in the netherworld, the same as your father did with me. I will not allow my only son to do such a thing. I had thought I had raised you better than that but it appears you cannot escape your fathers will and mannerisms."

Kid's pillow fell to the floor and he gripped to the blankets his hands fisting in them, unable to wake. He subconsciously sensed the danger about him, even if he didn't know what it was. His lips curved into a grin, he enjoyed meeting danger. It made him feel alive.

"Quit smiling back at me with your father face or so help me I will tear it off." Belle Morte rasped venomously.

Belle Morte paced the room back and forth like a caged mountain lion. "You are lucky you slept here tonight. I would have easily killed you had you gone home."

The stench of pine filled the room as the woman spoke, trails of green smoke fell from her lips as if she were puffing a cigarette. "Unfortunately I can do nothing to you, in your fathers realm without him knowing."

The woman ran her talons through Kid's hair. Snipping it as it went through, her voice changed from angry to gentle. Her features twisting from one manic expression to the next so fast it would be impossible to judge her mood and desires.

Belle Morte mind filled with the memories of her being a mother, her mind warped the memories as she fought against the desires of her master. Her voice sang out ghostly having embraced a loving memory of her son but having twisted by her masters needs.

"My poor diseased, son. I will save you from this madness. Even if I must commit the ultimate sin and kill my own flesh."

Belle Morte raised her taloned glove in the air readying to strike at Kid's face. She had forgotten the rules of the netherworld and at this moment she didn't care, even if she would not be able to kill him, she could still strike at him.

She raised both of her arms up preparing to bring her whole weight and strength down on her sleeping child. Long as she could keep that man's face from smiling at her, it would be ok. She would carve off her sons face to prevent him from looking like his father. She heard movement from outside Kid's door then.

Belle Morte leapt back toward the window. Twisting her body back into the golden barn owl with the snow white face. She flew from the room as fast as she could cursing her bad luck. Her murderous intentions would have to wait for a better time, a better place. It was too late Death would discover her if she didn't leave now. The thought of being trapped in the netherworld again, with Lord Death terrified her. The great Shinigami could bring the walls of the reality shut, imprisoning her, forcing her to stay with him to keep him company. Belle Morte scrambled for the nearest soul and flew strait up to where she had seen it enter the sky. She left the netherworld letting her body glide out of the space the souls were entering and headed toward Japan. It would be better this way, she would kill her son later. Sometime which was more convenient for herself.

Death strolled into Kids room and looked at the TV. He was expecting it to be on as he entered the room, and found it turned in the off position. Kid was sound asleep struggling in his blankets.

Something didn't feel right in the room, but Death couldn't determine what. He smelled the air and noticed it was thick with pine sol. He made the inaccurate guess that Kid must have cleaned before laying down. He pushed the window back closed and sat down on the bed.

"I'm sorry I knocked you out son but three days of no sleep is a bit much."

Lord Death stroked Kid's back gently rousing him from the dream.

"I've let you sleep for the equivalent of a whole day in the real world."

Death laid a tray down of poached eggs, sausage, black pudding, bacon, mushrooms, baked beans, hash brown and couple slices of fried tomato and some fried bread. On the bed before rousting his son again.

Kid opened his eyes wearily, and looked over at the tray. There was a big cup of hot tea steaming beside the food and his dad had his palm out stretched with two pills laying in the center of it. Kid flung the pills in his mouth and reached for the hot tea, burning his tongue on it as he swallowed them down.

"You sleep well?"

"No not really, but I feel rested."

Kid eyed the plate suspiciously "I don't eat black pudding you know that."

"It's Boudin Noir" Death corrected.

"That's just French for blood pudding you're not fooling me twice. Black pudding is just disgusting, I don't like it no matter which country it's from."

"But it's good!" Death complained putting a spoon full in his mouth showing Kid it was safe.

"Than you eat it!"

Kid took his knife and scraped the blood pudding off onto the tea saucer. It will be a million years before you ever get me to eat this stuff again. I know how to say hold the blood pudding in every European language there is. Kid laughed back amused at his father.

"Fine I'll eat it for you."Death commented stealing a piece of kid's fried bread to slop up the mixture with.

"You went all out this morning, you make this yourself?"

"Yes, I still got it!" Death said rolling up the sleeves to his bathrobe so it wouldn't fall into the blood pudding.

Kid was happy to see his father smiling. It was his real smile not the one he wore for the public, and his father happily turned on the TV and ate breakfast with his son.

Kid took a small bite of the baked beans. His father had a right to be arrogant. No one cooked the Full Monty like his dad. The big English style breakfast were unheard of in the states, and would have made a cardiologist blush from the amount of fat and cholesterol it had in it. Lucky for Kid he was Shinigami and didn't have to worry about such things. He inhaled the two perfectly round poached eggs, and forked at his sausage and hash browns.

Death flicked away from the news channels strait to the cartoons and settled on a _Wiley Coyote_ cartoon.

"I miss having you here. No way you can talk those two girls of yours to move back home can you?"

"I think they would have reservations about it. Besides I like being self sufficient and having my own place."

"Yes I understand that." Lord Shinigami added glumly.

"Now you're talking about getting married now, I guess my dreams of you moving home should be pretty much squashed... of course if you were thinking about making me some grand children."

Kid nearly spit out his orange juice at his father. "Grandchildren, I'm not even married yet, you still haven't even gave me your consent to let Maka become a Shinigami."

"As if you didn't know my answer already. I want you to be happy, and I always end up giving you what you want. I'm excited at the fact of having a daughter-in-law. Hell you can have a whole harem of women and I wouldn't mind, this place could use the noise."

"I don't want a harem...I just want her." Kid said feebly trying to eat the rest of his breakfast.

"It was like that with your mother too. God I chased her, I don't think I've ever recovered from loving her."

"You think." Kid snorted and tugged at his father's medium length striped hair.

"Ok you can cut it, I'll take a shower and shave today, but only if you promise to hit a few golf balls with me before you go sprinting off to find your girlfriend."

"A Faustian bargain with Lord Death, yes I can allow that." Kid laughed jovially.

"Maybe we should take it all the way down, we can buzz it clean and I can buy me some of that head polish that I see the old men use."

"I don't think so..."

Kid laughed again. He couldn't imagine his father with a shiny cue ball style head. Why don't we take it up a little maybe as short as mine or if your uncomfortable with that length we can make it Spirits length.

"Death Scythe is a lady killer, that length would probably be good."

Kid agreed reluctantly picking up his empty plates and returning them to the tray. He strolled down the hall and pulled out his shaving kit and scissors and pointed his father into the bathroom.

"Please go shower, and don't cover yourself in grave stone dust as soon as you get out. I want to be able to breathe out of my nose, when I cut your hair."

Death snickered "You act so formal in front of me when everyone else is around but when it's just us you are so demanding."

"Someone has to take care of you, since you don't bother to do it yourself." Kid complained.

Kid heard the water running from his old bathroom. Lord Shinigami didn't have any concept of routine, he showered and slept anywhere he felt in the sprawling manor. It didn't matter much, now that Kid no longer lived here but he still wondered why Death kept his room the same from the moment he moved out. Kid made a mental note that he needed to check up on his dad more often. He needed to make sure he was at least attempting to look human or else one day he might find his father sporting a rip van winkle look.

Kid fiddled with the scissors as his father came out from the shower freshly cleaned and shaved. His hair took on more waves being wet, which made it difficult for Kid to cut and have each strand even.

"May I ask you something father?" Kid didn't look away from his father's hair trying to snip each section in parallel layers. As he decided on the wording to use.

"What would you like to know."

"How is the best way to turn a woman into a Shinigami?"

"Ah that can be tricky. Especially since the grand design has already noticed her."

Death baritone fell into a ancient dialect all the sudden and Kid struggled to understand the process he was explaining. Sumerian language was never spoken in this day and age so Kid never felt the need to learn it properly. Unlucky for him, Death spoke it quickly and fluently and Kid mind had to wrap around the meaning of the old words to understand them.

"So If I just do that, she'll become a Death god."

"Most certainly."

"Kid looked at his father suspiciously, can't we just waste the rest of her turning points, she would be outside the grand design than?"

"You would risk losing her than. From what you kids have described, with oni and such around it would be a little dangerous to do it in such a fashion."

"If it is that god damn simple how come no one has stumbled upon it yet. I'm mean really for the love of god the world should be populated with Death gods if it's that easy to make one."

Death rubbed his chin and searching for the stubble he had shaved off. "What makes you think I let anyone live that discovered our family secret recipe for immortality?"

"You make it sound like fried chicken. Somehow I doubt your telling me everything."

"Now when have I kept secrets from you."

"All the time." Kid complained

"Sort of like how you keep secrets from the girls." Death retorted quickly

"That's not the same at all! You make me keep secrets from people, you said a Shinigami must never tell the living the secrets of the afterlife. It doesn't matter how much you care about them, knowing what is in the great beyond is too much of a burden for any one life time."

"Yes, Yes, I did say that. But that hasn't stopped you from slipping now and then has it."

Death brought his hand down on Kids head with a strong chop. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to punish you."

Kid rubbed his head dramatically. "Your suppose to threaten the person before you hurt them not after." Kid complained.

"You bring Maka to me when its time and I'll turn her. I can think of thousands of different ways to almost kill someone and have them survive."

"I guess you would be the expert in that field considering who you are."

Kid finished snipping his father's hair and dusted off his collar.

"You go change and I'll get the golf balls and the drivers."

Death ran his hand over his neck and dusted himself free of any hair.

"Okey dokey. Make sure you get two baskets of balls ok."

Kid smirked all the way to room that held the sporting equipment. He found the two golf bags and selected two driving irons out of them and grabbed a couple baskets of golf balls. It was a unusual pass time for sure, but both Death and Kid loved it. He found his father at the door of the sporting equipment room dressed in a plaid golfing outfit. Kid couldn't contain his laughter any more the loud pink and plaid shorts with matching pink top and viser was too much. Death even had on a knee high white socks and a viser, not to mention the ugliest golf shoes he had ever seen.

"God if the world could see you now." Kid muttered.

"I thought you might get a kick out of it. How do you like my new golf knickers?"

"I think I'm going to buy you a argyle vest and socks to match it, maybe even one of those golf caps."

"Then I'd really be styling." Death joked. "I think we should get you a set to match!"

"Can you imagine wearing something like this on a reap? " Kid laughed skipping ahead of his father to the place they normally practiced.

"I think we would spend the whole day chasing runners. No one would have confidence in a Death that was chasing down people in golf knickers."

"You know they don't really call them golf knickers anymore, and since tiger woods' became popular people typically don't go in for the loud starter outfits as much."

Death laughed. " Yeah I know, but this kind of clothing is so much more fun. People need more Jois de virtue. This is kind of thing people should wear more often."

"Joy of life, yes I can see how clothing like that might convey that."

"I got a riddle for you. How do most golfers die on the fourteen hole."

Kid thought for a minute..."I don't know how."

"They stoke!"

Kid laughed in amusement and dropped his ball caddy near the ledge of the cliff and watched Death do the same. This was the spot. The red clay of the netherworld rose up here in a huge chasms, in the bottom of the ravine was pure white light. It radiated up the cliff walls painting it in light. All the souls of the dead congregated here. Spinning in a mass of blue light that looked like a whirl pool. The souls would zip in and dance around waiting their turn to be pulled in. This was a magical place, a place where even Death didn't know what was on the other side of the light and that is what made it special. Sure they understood the seven hells, and reincarnation, but whatever was on the other side of that light was a complete mystery. Shinigamis couldn't enter it. Only souls could and not knowing had its own majestic.

"I remember when you were younger you use to drop your toys, and toilet paper and kinds of stuff into that pit. I'd buy you a new toy and there you would be chucking it into the light. Do you remember what you use to tell me you were doing?"

Kid couldn't remember that far back. He couldn't remember tossing anything down into the light, this place felt like something sacred now and he was embarrassed he had acted so impish."No I don't remember."

"When I asked you why you threw your toys down there, you said you were sending them down for the children of heaven to play with."

"You use to want to give those souls everything you had."

Kid blushed embarrassed. He still didn't remember anything like that.

His father dropped a golf ball on the ground. "Guess it's time to send them some golf balls now!"

Death took the driving iron and pulled the club back. "With a loud smack the ball went ricocheting off the cavern walls down into the light."

"I still think this is the pretties place in the seven hells." Kid commented, smacking a golf ball in similar fashion as his father.

"Yeah I like it too, but I like the reincarnation factory better. I love looking in on all those babies! All of those fresh clean little souls just bounding to get reincarnated. Something about seeing them bounce all over the place just makes me happy."

Death let another wicked swing send a golf ball barreling into the light and Kid watched as Death started dropping multiple balls down on the ground.

"You want to race?" Death challenged.

"I guess we can see who can get to the end of the basket first."

Kid dropped several of his own set of golf balls down and noticed Death hadn't waited. He was already spinning balls into the hole quickly.

"Love this hole. Only hole I can never miss." Death said in between pants.

"Better take it easy old man, or you may stroke like one of those golfers."

"Never made any sense to me at all. Golf is relaxing, and those golfers got so worked up. There hour glass just ran out."

"Some people just get worked up over everything. I've seen a lot of reaps just because of driving lately, and I'm not talking car crashes."

Kid noticed one of the ravens delivering a soul overhead and sent a shot for the bird. The bird squawked and went flying off away from the two Shinigami.

"Why are you taking shots at the soul birds."

"It's not like it's a real bird. It's just some disguise for your messenger, and frankly I think the ravens are getting to damn cocky and lazy. It's time to switch animals."

Death stopped swinging his club for a second and rubbed his chin. "Yeah you may be right, the carrier numbers have been down lately, we may need to pick a new animal to call. You got any preference to what animal you want the legion of Death to be."

"Patty told me to tell you that she thinks Death should personify itself as a killer dolphins or a killer giraffes."

Death began laughing so hard he fell to the ground. "God I love that girl. I got it we should have killer squirrels or better yet killer bunnies."

"Long is its not killer bees or mad cows again I don't care."

"I thought the deadly cows were cute."

"They didn't transport well and the carrier numbers were the worst in this decade, even if they did make the news a lot."

"Well the bees were built perfectly for carrier numbers."

"I agree but people got spooked to soon and started killing regular honey bees and now there is a population problem with them."

"I guess vorpal squirrels might not be such a bad idea after all. There is almost a breed of squirrel on every continent."

"I just can imagine a cute little squirrel with glowing red eyes. The breed lacks a certain je ne sais quoi to be the legion of Death."

"Well grandpa used rats, other reapers have used cats, bats, asps, crows, beetles, wolves, coyotes, jackals, hippopotami."

"Hippos? Why did they use hippos? That sounds like something Patty would suggest."

"Well there was a lot of travel on the Nile once and Hippos were thought to be demons."

"Huh I didn't know that, I mean I've heard of the Egyptians thinking cats and jackals were spirits of the dead but I didn't realize hippos were once carriers."

"I guess a bird or a insect would be the most prudent of choices. Since they can travel so easy."

"Travel easy...I know what animal we should choose." Kid chirped excited.

"Oh what."

"Cockroaches! They are on every continent, they sneak onto planes and boats easily, there small so they aren't noticed a lot, and plus they are just plain disgusting and I don't care if human beings exterminate them with prejudice."

Death nodded his head in agreement, "There certainly are enough of them."

"Yeah and they carry disease and all kind of things so they can burden the blame easy."

"Of course that means you would have to have a working relationship with them."

Kid cringed, "With the cockroaches"

"Yes they would have to come and go into the nether world."

"Maybe we could set them up with a cockroach only zone somewhere far away from the house. In some far little corner of hell where I don't have to be near them."

"I guess you could do that. I mean the souls do naturally find their way to the sectors they need to go."

"You want me to go ahead and change it now?"

"No I think I want to do it as my first act as Head Shinigami."

Death nodded his head, "I'm surprised I haven't thought of them myself, I think they are a excellent choice, but I still would like to see a vorpal squirrel."

"I'll send Patty over and she can make her case with you why there should be killer dolphins."

"Still better than killer crabs." Death snorted.

"Don't say it!"

"You know I had a killer crabs once."

"That is just disgusting!" Kid complained slapping his last golf ball so hard it nearly flew back at him.

Instead the ball went hurtling to the house and tore out a window. Kid gasped seeing the ball break the window in slow motion.

"You can be such a handful." Death complained resting his body atop of Kid's head.

"I'm sorry...I'll replace it my funeral parlor franchise is doing quite well these day."

Death snorted. "That's quite a racket your running, what's your slogan we kill and chill em."

Kid didn't understand the joke, actually its "Difficult decisions...compassionate solutions."

Death laughed at Kids naivety. I think you should change it too "Plan for your future and theirs."

"That's a awful slogan for a funeral parlor franchise. "

"Well it's the truth and I know how you pride yourself on being honest. No one escapes Death after all."

"You mean no one escapes me!" Kid complains, "A fast child can escape you right now. Mister I don't want to get out of bed."

Kid patted his father's stomach lovingly. "You're getting a beer gut too good thing that cowl of yours makes you look skinny."

Death laughed again. I got another good slogan for your funeral parlor. "We put the fun in funeral."

"Oh did it tell you I'm getting a hearse!" Kid proclaimed.

"It was one of the old cars from the parlor that quit running, my head GM was going to throw it away but I told him I'd take it since I'll be able to drive alone next month. I'm having it completely gutted and turned into muscle car. I've got a guy who's airbrushed the side in a purple and black gradients and he actually painted the view of my cemetery on the side of it."

"You're kidding me right." Death snorted.

"No I got pictures of it if you want to see the paint job. It's going to be the sweetest ride ever."

"You've got the money right, why not just buy a new car."

"What like a Toyota prius...Yeah that will really get me laid."

Death held back his laughter, "I was thinking more of a corvette or better yet a grancabrio maserati."

"Those are mid life crisis cars...yeah sure the maserati is nice but they only attract gold diggers. I want a cool car, something unique."

"And you think the muscle car made out of a hearse will get you laid?"

"I think Maka will think it's cool."

"I guarantee you if a girl has to choose between riding in hearse and maserati she will choose the maserati. "

"But Maka is not like that... and Soul drives a motorcycle, I can't see myself driving a motorcycle. I'd look like _ghost rider_."

"I got an idea, what don't you get some car magazines and you can bring Maka over here and well look them over together and feel it out her opinions. If it's just a car for your ego and to impress a girl it probably would be good to get her opinion. You never know she is very civic minded she might think the Toyota prius is actually cool..."

"Oh god I hope not. I don't want to be the guy driving the powder blue Toyota prius. Even you thought I was gay how do you think the rest of the world would see me."

Death laughed again. It was good to see his son thinking like a average boy. Cars, girlfriends, superficial purchases all seemed too wonderful, to the Lord Shinigami. Kid was never like this, he normally drowned himself in his work or his obsessions with aesthetics from his OCPD. He was overly serious and too polite for a boy his age, and way too wrapped up in the world's problems. Death had a revelation that something inside Kid was changing, it might not just be the Kid's exposure to the grigori after all. Kid was acting more confident, he seemed more comfortable, he was even joking and cut up. Maybe Kid was growing up. Something inside Shinigami-sama felt both sad and happy. He was sad that Kid's childhood was ending, but happy the boy finally seemed to have control over his emotions. The over whelming need to hug his son conquered his sensibilities and Death crushed Kid to his chest feeling relief.

"What?" Kid questioned looking up at his father.

"Your never like this...You never share like this with me or let me play this much a part in your life. We haven't talked like this, well since you were nine."

"I don't understand..." Kid questioned.

"Don't worry about it just know that I'm happy."

"Dad how much time has passed outside in the real world?"

"Probably about one day."

Kid let out a long breath. So death hadn't changed time too much. "You won't miss any of your studies if that's what your worried about."

"Good"

"You want to leave already, don't you." Death grumbled.

"I can come back tonight, bring you pictures of the hearse..." Kid placated.

"You'll spend the night again?" Death added hopeful.

"I guess I can. I need to talk to Patty and Liz before I come over. I probably wouldn't be able to sleep in my own house anyway considering there is huge gaping hole in my office that I can see from my bedroom window."

"I'll call a construction crew and send them over. I've already met my deductable thanks to Black Star."

"Our rates are going to go up again..." Kid griped.

"Always." Death mumbled. "Seems like every class there is always one."

"You want me to say something to him."

"No I'll handle it myself."

Death summoned his cowl and redressed himself as the Great Lord Shinigami.

"You are keeping the golf clothes on?"

"Yeah it will give you something to laugh at while you're sitting there bored in class. Knowing your crazy old man has pink golf knickers on under the robe of the grim reaper."

"Better than the bathrobe and pajama's, I got to admit the golf clothes are pretty funny."

"I think I'll show Spirit a little glimpse later. He always questions what I look like under my robe, and I enjoy messing with his mind."

Kid slouched his back toward the ground. "What am I going to do about Spirit, your his friend how the hell do I convince him to let Maka be a Shinigami?"

"Just tell him he will get to keep his little girl that way forever. That he will never have to worry about her getting sick, or dying and she stay cute and adorable for the rest of eternity."

"Maka wouldn't get to grow up all the way if I do it now though."

"Why don't you wait a little bit than, brining her to me when she reaches her last turning point or if things starts heading south. If you want to raise Spirit confidence. Convince her to spend the night here so she will protected at least a quarter of the day. That way you won't stay up and worry about her all night too."

"You think she will agree to that."

"Long as she doesn't think you're trying to trap her here, I think she will allow it. Maka is reasonable after all."

"I'll keep all this in mind. I guess I better head out to school though."

"Ok I look forward to seeing the hearse..." Death laughed again.

"I still can't believe you are going through with this funeral parlor franchise, what's wrong with using the age old investments accounts to fund your life style. It's not like you really need to work and earn money."

"People need funeral services Pop if you haven't noticed most of the franchise so far is in the US and Japan, I chose those locations because they have the most expensive funerals in the world. These other funeral parlors extort money from grieving people. I just don't like it. It ruins the entire credibility of the work we do. I don't want the living to be preyed upon by greedy vultures who want to exploit their grief."

"People always prey upon each other, it doesn't matter if they are grieving or not. It's the nature of man."

"You know that the average Japanese funeral cost is about 2.31 million yen, since you haven't been out of the country lately let me explain in dollars that twenty five thousand American dollars. The average American funeral is around twelve thousand dollars, obviously this is considerably less but when you start comparing it to countries like France who's average funeral costs are four thousand dollars and the UK who around three thousand pounds. It's highway robbery! Africa is the next continent I'm going to tackle. If you look at the percentages there its way too high too."

"So what are you planning on doing, you create your funeral parlors around the world how does that change anything."

"Easy, I plan on flooding the market with my funeral parlors so all the big expensive ones have to come down in price. I call it _Operation Walmart_!"

Death snorted in amusement. "My son always trying to save the world from itself."

"It's important." Kid argued stepping through the mirror back to Deaths office.

"I can't argue that you're not doing well for yourself but I don't want _Operation Walmart_ distracting you from your reaping duties."

"It won't Dad, I've hired really good management underneath me."

"They don't understand why I keep dropping prices, but they realize that we are expanding amazingly fast so they think that the company is doing good. I know I can't just drop the funeral services prices down to where I want them to be to start out. Or people will think something is wrong with them and won't come. So what I do is gradually decrease the prices and keep building stores. Eventually I'll have more buying potential too, so I will be able to get the supplies I need at cheaper costs from the distributors. Eventually I hope to have all my own manufacturers for the supplies too so I can do away with the middleman entirely."

"So basically what I'm understanding from you is you plan on murdering the funeral industry."

Kid rubbed his forehead in thought. "Yes that pretty much sums it up."

"You know being a reaper doesn't mean we have to worry about the living...we really just need to take the dead."

"Without the living there are no dead to take care of, and people are more at ease when they know there family is safe and provided for. They will be more likely to cross over. Maybe in the long run we will have less runners too. I'm optimistic about this, you made the hunting for kieshen your life's work, because you felt a need for justice. I plan on continuing that, but I want to make sure the living are protected too."

"That reminds me...do you honestly think Maka is going to make a good reaper? Do you think she will be able to stand by and watch her friends die. I honestly can't see her doing that, just look at the mess she made with that Crona child."

"Maka understand the way the grand design works, I showed it to her. I took her into the stream with me. She knows that once the lights are flooding around a person you can't change the outcome of their life. I think she sees it a natural process. That's how I'm going to explain it to her. "

"Did she try to touch the person that was dyeing?"

"Yes, she had a almost identical reaction to what I had the first time I went on my first reap."

"I'm sorry..." Death apologized.

"There is no reason for you to be sorry, Mom was there."

"Yes but that should have been with me. Your mother..."

Kid rested his hand on the door of Death office. "I know dad...I know all about mom, I know she does it wrong, and I know you still love her. But I can't forgive her, and I know it's going to hurt you but you need to add her name to the wanted list. Now that we know for sure she is operating outside the laws of nature she has to be stopped."

"I can't..." Lord Death said in a high pitched voice.

"No you mean you won't. Bloody crows Dad, just give me the list I'll write her name down on it."

"No I mean I can't, Your mother is Shinigami, if we put her on the list that means the Miesters and weapons will go out hunting for her. They can't kill a Shinigami, only another Shinigami can kill a Shinigami, and that isn't even a easy thing to do."

"I won't send those children to their deaths. I won't send any of our people after her ."

"That means you're going to make me do it then." Death the Kid sneered.

"Fine give me the list...I'll assign her to myself. I have no problem with it, she might as well be another kieshen in my book."

"No I won't send you after your own mother Kiddo. I know you are talented but your mother has close to two hundred and fifty years on you. There is no way I would send you after her, as emotional as you are. If you were more like me and didn't feel anything when you reaped I would allow it. But you have this strange sense of justice that I just don't understand. I think it will cloud your judgment and get you killed. I will not let you go after you mother."

"So what your saying is because I care, that she is evil, and I know that she is doing wrong. I am not fit to kill her."

"I am saying that she is stronger than you, and I love you, and I will not allow you to bloody your hands with her. You are my only son, my only family and I will not risk you."

"If I hadn't made that sacrifice so long ago to imprison the kieshen I would find a way to lure her to me and Kill her myself."

"You say I am incapable of killing her. But you are still in love with her... and you think you are able."

" I reap indiscriminately you know that. I have no feeling no emotions for the ones I reap. I would be able to kill her."

Kid gritted his teeth. This was a old argument, one that was never ending and had no winners and he felt his face grow hot with anger.

" I'm not going to start this argument again. I suggest you consult your death scythes and weapons and see what their opinions are of this situation. Maybe you will listen to them since you obviously won't listen to your own son."

"Kiddo-chan please don't leave angry. I don't mean to make you mad."

"I know you don't father... I am more angry at the situation than I am at you. I will see you later tonight as I promised." Kid tried to smile but it didn't reach his eyes.

Belle Morte needed to be stopped. Why couldn't his father see that, there was only one way that was going to happen. Kid ran his hands threw his coal black hair, and left the office. Oddly Patty and Liz were waiting by the door when it opened.

"You guys did go home right?" Kid asked worried.

The youngest of the girls hopped forwards. "Yes, we did silly not like we would wait on you all night."

"You look more rested." Liz commented.

"Yes I am, I got good new though. Dad is actually talking about letting me take his place in the Never After. He might come out and stay in the city for a while."

"How is that good news!"

Liz grabbed on to Kid and gave him a Indian burn. "What the hell did you two talk about, you were suppose to be talking about wedding stuff. "

Patty bit down on Kid's arm like a ravenous dog and Kid flailed trying to remove her.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry we talked about marriage and Maka stuff too."

"I'll tell you about it during class." Kid explained catching the sight of two blond pig tails heading into a class room down the hall. He made a quick sprint away from Patty and Liz, who abruptly broke into a run after him.

"Your not getting away that easy."

"Yeah Maka is going to be on our side anyway, it's not like she can save you!" Patty yelled.

Kid ducked into the class room with both girls right on his heels just as the bell rang.

* * *

Wow long time since I updated. Well I safely made it back home from the Holiday... This chapter is really over due. Gomen. Well here is the low down. I'm going to try get back into writing ten pages a day. No promises though, I'm still lagging from the Holiday.

**Ok so here are the Q and A.**

No Maka is not Shinigami yet... as you probably noticed in this chapter.

Yes I would love it if you edited me... Drop me a email.

Yes there will be more lemon soon and it will probably be next chapter, it will be posted with the other one.

No I am no longer going to cut my story into chapters of five pages.

Yes I am continueing this fic.

And no I don't own Soul Eater...wish I did though the chapters would come out a hell of a lot faster.

**Oh yeah please review...**


	17. Chapter 17

**Edited Monday Feb 14 2011**

**Definitions you need to know**.

Aniki: Means brother in Japanese. As in "my brother."

Outousan: means father.

Vocaloid: A Japanese virtual singer created with a computer program.

Wakizashi is a very short katana sword

Sepulcher: a tomb

_**Authors Notes**_

_Alice the Human Sacrifice_ is available on YouTube and on the vocaloid website. Good song, check it out. There is even a soul eater fan video with it, but the audio quality is not good on the English soul eater version. Basically it sounds better and makes more sense in original Japanese.

This chapter is the first part of the Buddhist death sequence I plan on showing. By the end of the next sixty pages I'm releasing you. You will know all kinds of new things about how Buddhism celebrates death.

I know that over 87% of your readers are from the US, and probably have had little to no experience with Buddhism, so know in advanced I plan on walking you through it. Just as I walked you through the Rastafarian belief in death, and the traditional African belief and Voodoo ceremonies.

By the time I am done with this story I plan to cover all 22 of the major religions and the way each of these religions celebrate death. (Yes that means a lot of reaping) If you haven't figured it out already this is your wake up call. This is a story about death itself and the process of grieving and celebrating how one moves on into the afterlife. I plan on showing the true culture of death. The characters are just the shuttle for us to get there,

I admit now that I have been force feeding you all religions from around the world so I can hopefully expand the minds of a few people out there. If you have questions about any of the religions or ceremonies I describe write me and I will either answer you or point you to the best place to find a more qualified person to talk too. Well anyway enough dogma, I believe in showing not just talking about it.

As a **public service announcement **I would like to let you know of a cool program I discovered. MIT is offering free Japanese self study courses. They give you everything you need to complete Japanese level 1-7 which is a big deal if you just want to study the language and don't want to worry about getting a grade. They are also offering many other free courses on robotics, computer programming hell they are even teaching Mandarin. Of course you will need to get a copy of the textbooks, but I didn't find it to difficult since most are available at the library, or from digital text book companies that allow you to have a text book on your e-reader.

Well enough author comments on with the show.

Forever in the Never After

Tsubaki's Grief - Sepulchers and Wakizashi

Kid slid into his regular seat in the Class Crescent Moon lecture hall, flanked on either side by Liz and Patty. The lecture was particularly boring and they passed the time with a whispered review of everything Kid had discussed with his father.

Kid's eyes flicked to the teacher squawking at the front of the room. _She doesn't know what she's talking about_. Professor Pillsbottom was Kid's least favorite teacher. She was supposed to teach law, but she got off on tangents so regularly that the most of the students had a tenuous hold on the subject matter at best.

"All right, kids, today we're going to talk about what legally constitutes death."

Kid groaned to himself and buried his face in his hands. He should have skipped class and stayed at his father's house in his nice warm bed. On his left, Patty flicked a folded note to Maka. Maka unfolded it, scribbled something on the bottom and passed it back. Kid watched with interest as Patty spread the page on her desk. In big bold letters it asked:

"Where is Tsubaki?"

Followed by Maka's dainty curly script:

"I don't know. She didn't show up with Black Star."

After what seemed like a millennium the class ended and the students filed out toward the lunch room. Kid slinked between Soul and Maka, separating the two and wrapping his arm around Maka's waist.

"Hey!" Soul grumbled.

"Sorry," Kid replied smugly, "Need to talk to the wife." He winked at Maka and she giggled, blushing.

Black Star, who was inhaling a sports drink, abruptly spit a huge mouthful into the side of Soul's head.

"What the hell, Black Star?" Soul screamed.

"Sorry dude. I think I must have heard that wrong!" Black Star tried using his sleeve to wipe Soul's face.

"You didn't." Liz said, clamping a hand down on Black Star's shoulder.

Soul shoved Black Star away and shot a confused look at Maka. "What the hell is he talking about…?"

Maka's brow furrowed in despair," I...I…there was something…earlier…sort of…."

Black Star ripped at his blue hair, "You've been going out for like what, two days? And now he's calling you his _wife_?"

"Can we talk about this later? I need to talk to Soul and I haven't had time because my father was too busy screaming at me and getting sick last night. Com'on, Soul!" Maka grabbed Soul's hand and dragged him away from the group while Kid watched jealously.

"You wanna tell me what's going on here?" Black Star screamed kicking Kid into a locker, "I've tried being nice, I've tried ignoring it, I've even tried being supportive but you just have to be an ass about this, don't you?"

A crowd of students began circling around Kid and Black Star. The air grew thick with power, and anticipation. A smack down between Black Star and Death the Kid was not to be missed.

"It has nothing to do with you." Kid kept all emotion out of his voice.

"Nothing to do with me? I told Soul to keep his cool and not mess with you. I told Maka that she should do what she thought was right and to quit letting people tell her what to do. But you just keep trying to push this relationship crap of yours in everyone's face. Are you proud of getting in between the two of them? Do you like making Soul go crazy and feel all shitty? You want to see him and Maka fight all the time, you get some kind of kick out of it?" Black Star roared.

Kid gaped at Black Star. He couldn't answer those questions out loud. Yeah, he did like seeing Maka mad at Soul, it made him feel more secure. As long as Maka was mad she wasn't going to change her mind about being a Shinigami. He was happy, everything seemed to be working out better than he could have hoped for with Maka, and for the first time in his life it actually looked like the future might not be so bad. But…maybe his ego was a little inflated right now. Kid stood there lost in his own thoughts and didn't try to defend himself.

"Hey it's not Kiddo-kun's fault!" Patty said stepping in front of Kid, "He's just trying to find a way to save Maka. He's going to make her a Shinigami so Maka won't have to die."

The crowd gave a collective gasp. Half of them whipped out cell phones and began to text madly.

Black Star took a step back, stunned. "Is that true?"

"Yes, but I think what you said was true also. I haven't considered how my relationship with Maka could change the dynamics of the group. Maybe I am a little too proud that I'm going out with her. I really didn't realize how it might look. " Kid said, fumbling with his hands. Kid screamed at himself in his mind. _Garbage I'm just garbage, what the hell do I have to be happy about? That I sneak and cheat to get the things that I want?_ Kid wanted to collapse on the floor or bang his head against the wall, but he did nothing. He deserved to hear this from his friend. Black Star had the right to voice his opinion.

"Aniki! Say something…defend yourself!" Patty cried, waving her outstretched arms.

Black Star balled up his fists, "So you know you're acting like a complete jackass." Black Star tried to hit Kid in the face but was sucker punched from the left side. Patty blinked and turned to see Liz shaking out her hand.

Liz closed in on Black Star and pointed a long finger nail at him. Her other hand twisted in his tank top to keep him from getting away.

"No one talks to my little brother like that." She announced, her Brooklyn accent creeping into her voice.

"Kiddo is a goddamn saint. Do you have to go around the world reaping peoples souls at all times of the day and night? No you don't. Do you get up early every morning to make sure the soul birds have brought all the souls of the departed to the netherworld? No I don't think so. No one is as compassionate or as hard working as Kid, and just because he has some one he cares about and is being a little bit selfish about sharing doesn't mean he's a bad person. Kid needs to be more selfish, he needs someone that can be all his and if you and Soul don't like than you can piss off."

Black Star backed off, a little frightened. Liz was scary when she was mad. That punch in the face had been a good one; he was still feeling it. Who would have known girly, nail painting Liz could be such a thug. Something clicked in Black Star's mind; if Liz was acting dangerous it meant that Patty was… he looked over at Patty and saw her giving him a half-crazed smile, bloodlust in her eyes.

"Don't mess with us!" Liz whispered dangerously.

Black Star shook Liz off. "Of course you would take his side, you two always protect him. You don't know what it feels like to have some other guy all over the girl you care about."

"You talking about Soul or yourself?" Patty commented snidely.

Black Star got a hurt look, sent a trash can flying into the crown of spectators around them, and stalked to the lunchroom.

Kid looked at Liz in admiration and felt Patty grab hold of his neck, nearly toppling him to the floor.

"He was wrong Aniki. She's your girlfriend and they can't handle it. They don't understand anything. "

Kid watch Liz stomp down the hallway after Black Star her boots clacking loudly on the tile floor. She was pissed and she wasn't going to let the ninja slip away without hearing everything she had to say.

"Thank you." Kid whispered into Patty's ear.

"For what? It's the truth. Plus we love you."

Kid let Patty drag him to the lunchroom. Liz was at a table in the center with Black Star, who was scarfing down mini burgers with ungodly speed. They were deep in conversation.

"Did you know Black Star and Maka grew up together?" Liz asked Patty as she and Kid approached.

"No… I don't really care either." Patty proclaimed.

"Were not mad at him anymore Patty." Liz announced.

"Speak for yourself." Patty said sitting Kid down at the table and eyeing the ninja suspiciously.

Liz looked up at Patty, startled. "But you always agree with me!"

"Well not today!" Patty retorted. She ran her hands over Kid's back, trying to soothe him. "Wonder what's taking Maka so long; she's going to miss lunch, if she doesn't come soon."

"You seriously are going to change her into a Shinigami?" Black Star asked Kid. His eyes were dark with emotion.

"Yes." Kid said quietly "I hope to do it soon."

"…and that will make sure Maka won't get killed by this Grand Design thing?"

"Yes." Kid whispered.

"You look hungry, Kiddo. I'll go get us food." Patty offered.

"Oi! Patty! Get me a fruit cup, will you?" Liz called out.

"Get it your damn self!" Patty growled and flicked her sister the bird.

Patty stomped across the room, mumbling to herself all the way. "She finally stands up for something she believes in and then she just becomes all wishy-washy and cowardly again…why can't she grow a spine? I actually respected her for hitting Black Star and now she's consoling him. What the hell is wrong with her?"

Kilik, Harvar, and Kim all scooted out of Patty's way as she approached the lunch line: she had a murderous aura about her and she was talking to herself like a crazy person. Patty sensed them staring at her and looked over at the three, pasted a huge phony smile on her face and fluttered her eyelashes at them, which Kilik thought made her look even scarier. Patty rocked back and forth on her heels, singing to herself in a creepy, sing-song voice.

"The first Alice was gallant with a sword in hand  
She skipped off into the woods and off to Wonderland  
Cutting anyone and anything that blocked her path  
Up until the Earth was soaked with red to show her wrath

Such an Alice was to be trapped inside the trees  
A criminal locked away forced to beg on her knees  
Other than the path she made while cutting in the wood  
No one knew she existed and she was gone for good"

The students in the lunch line fled, steering clear of Patty. She gathered two trays of food, singing her creepy nursery rhymes as she went. She grabbed four fruit cups, then abruptly put one back.

"No, Liz can get it herself." She said, and returned to her song.

"The second Alice was a sweet and gentle, humble man  
He would always sing a song to his dear Wonderland  
The many tones he sang they twisted and they swirled  
And thus he created an equally mad world

Such an Alice was a man of flower and a rose  
He got shot down by a man who could not take his own woes  
And there in the forest bloomed a flower blood red  
Once loved and enjoyed by all, is now left for dead"

Patty looked over and found Soul bumping his tray behind her. He looked tired and depressed but he gave her a weak smile and slid his tray close to hers.

"What are you singing? I've never heard it before."

Patty gave him a little smile and noticed that Maka was behind him. "Maka! I got you a tray already Maka." she sang happily.

Patty turned back to Soul "The song is called 'Alice the Human Sacrifice'. I found it on the computer. A computer program called a vocaloid sings it.

Soul perked up a little bit. "I've heard of vocaloids, pretty interesting stuff actually. Are you interested in vocaloid music?"

"Not really, I just like the song. Kiddo translated the lyrics for me."

Maka moved over to Patty and examined the mound of food on her trays.

"I'm not that hungry, Patty!"

"It's for me and Kiddo too."

"Kiddo" Soul snorted.

"Lord Death always calls Aniki Kiddo. Me and sis call him that too."

"What does Aniki mean, anyway? Is it some kind of slang?"

"Aniki is Japanese for brother." Maka explained, not looking at Soul.

"Why the hell is Patty calling Kid her brother?" Soul felt confused. He seemed to feel that way a lot lately.

"Because that's the relationship they have. Patty and Liz both consider Kid-kun to be their brother."

"Sort of like how Maka sees you!" Patty added happily.

Soul hid his face under his bangs. He didn't think of Maka that way at all. Did Maka see him as some sort of a brother figure? If that was the case wouldn't she have been more freaked out when he kissed her? Soul thought for a minute and looked Maka in the eyes.

"That true?"

"No, I see you as a really good friend, and my partner."

"See good friend! Just like family, right Maka." Patty added.

"Family…" Maka added softly. "Not really a brother, but definitely family."

Maka looked up into Souls eyes trying to communicate some emotion he just couldn't read.

"Is Kid family?"

"Kid, he's… it's complicated." Maka admitted. The lunch line wasn't the place to tell your best friend that you were going to get married and become a death god.

"You told me about how you plan on stepping out of this Grand Design thing but you didn't explain why he called you his wife earlier."

Patty looked wide eyed at Maka. She paid for her trays and hurried away from the two as fast as she could. Maka looked back at Soul dreading the words she was about to say.

"I'm going to be a bigger part of the inner workings of the Academy soon. I've decided that I'm going to become a reaper like Kid."

"A reaper…"

"Yes and to become a reaper, I'm going to become a Shinigami. That is, if it's okay with Lord Death. In essence I'll be joining Lord Deaths family."

Soul looked at Maka in sheer amazement. "Why would you do that?"

"I've seen what Kid actually does. I went on a reap with him and watched him take a human soul. I want to do that too."

"What about us?"

"If I become a Shinigami maybe you can become my weapon instead of Lord Death's. Then you won't have to leave and go to Europe or where ever."

"You completely missed the point of that conversation. Maka it's not that I don't want to be one of Lord Deaths weapons; it's that I don't want to leave you. Why do you think I kissed you in that cave?"

"I actually don't understand why you did that. You know I'm going out with Kid-kun."

Soul smacked his head in disbelief. "I kissed you because I don't want you to go out with Kid. Can't you understand that? I want it to be just us again. Just you and me, the way it supposed to be. The way it's always been."

Maka stumbled backward, nearly falling over her own feet. "I can't give you that anymore."

Soul almost yelled, but remembered where they were and quieted his voice. "Why?"

"Because there's more out there than just you and me. There are people out there who need to feel secure when they die and because Kid needs me more than you do." Maka was trying desperately to make him understand.

Soul was shocked. "How can he need you more than I do?"

"Kid is about to do something big, something that is going to change everything. I need to be a part of it. And I want to be there to support him."

"He's got enough support! He's got Patty and Liz and his dad. But me? I've just got you. My brother has become some kind of crazed zombie. My parents are dead, and the way Wes was talking made me think he may do something to Grandma too. Don't do this to me Maka, not now, god damn it. I need someone too. I need…" Soul couldn't finish his statement. He felt choked by his emotions, but he wouldn't cry. Not yet. He bottled everything back up tight and walked to the lunch table leaving Maka standing there alone.

He pushed his way between Liz and Black Star and began picking at the food on his tray with his fork. He didn't feel like eating so he just pushed his lunch around, piling it and rearranging it to make it appear like he was doing something. Soul felt like a zombie himself. He was extremely tired even though he'd slept well the night before. Maka had spent the night at Spirit's, taking care of her creepy old man who she claimed to hate. Everything in the world just felt upside down to Soul. Why couldn't thing get back to normal already?

Soul looked at Black Star and watched him shove two mini cheeseburgers into his cheeks and barely chew them before he put in a third. He had never seen the ninja eat so much before. It was like he was forcing it down. Kid, on the other hand wasn't eating any of the food Patty had brought him. He just stared at Black Star, and then turned his eyes to Soul.

"I'm sorry." Kid whispered.

Kid began buttoning and unbuttoning the cuffs of his brown shirt. He was deep in concentration, focused on something Soul just didn't understand.

"Where is Tsubaki Black Star?" Liz asked, trying to break the silence at the table.

"Spirit called her to the Death Room as soon as we got to school this morning."

"Papa is here today? I thought we agreed he would take the day off." Maka exclaimed.

"Oh, Spirit was here alright. Why the hell is he so grouchy anyway? Is he still sick?" Black Star asked her.

Maka looked over at Kid who was lost in his own little world and rested her hand on his fingers. He stopped unbuttoning his cuff and looked up at her.

"I didn't mean to make such a mess of things." Kid said to no one in particular.

"Well, you did." Black Star shot back unhappily.

Maka looked at Kid and wove her fingers into his. She found his wavelength and snapped a link between them so she could see what Kid was focusing on. He was counting the bricks on the wall. Lining things up with his eyes.

"_Why are you so upset?_" Maka questioned Kid mentally.

"_Black Star said I've been acting like a pompous asshole and he's rights." _Kid said trying to pull his eyes away from the bricks.

Maka forced little bits of her control into Kid. He breathed out, feeling her wavelength calming him. His father was right. It was like being touched by Marie's healing gift, it was like a drug. Kid felt himself relax and he slid closer to Maka his eyes growing thick and tired. Then Kid heard something. The sound echoed like heart beats in his head; sand moving, the tinkling of glass.

"What's that noise?" Maka asked, looking at everyone.

"I didn't hear anything" Black Star answered shoving another burger in his mouth. Maka was momentarily distracted. Why was Black Star eating that way, was he upset too? Maka was about to ask but heard Kid's muffled voice in her mind.

"_You're hearing it through our resonance. That's the noise that tells Shinigami it's time to go to work."_

Kid rose from the table dropping Maka's hand and breaking their link. "If you all will excuse me I have something I need to do."

Kid started to leave but Tsubaki came running into the lunch room. Her face was blotchy and red. She stumbled over to them, and nearly collapsed on the table.

"Maka." she sobbed

Maka got up and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"What's wrong, what happened, what's wrong?" Maka gasped, feeling Tsubaki shaking against her. The whole lunchroom was staring now, everyone was watching Tsubaki. Black Star was up, stroking her back and trying to get her to stop wailing.

"What happened?" Black Star demanded. "You tell me who's bothering you and I'll –", Tsubaki turned and threw herself against him.

"My dad," Tsubaki choked out. "It's my dad."

Spirit ran in and took Tsubaki away from Black Star, patting her like a small child.

"I know it was bad, I'm sorry" he said, "We didn't want to show you but you were his next of kin." Spirit tucked Tsubaki's head under his chin and Maka saw that his eyes were wet.

"Kid, your father needs you," Spirit whispered.

Kid took a shuddering breath and squeezed Maka's hand. He got up adjusted his tie, and strode out of the room without looking back.

"What's happened Papa?" Maka cried .Spirit looked overcome with remorse. "Tsubaki's father has passed away."

Black Star crumpled back to the cafeteria table, clutching at his throat. "But we just went to see him less than a month ago, he was fine!"

"He was murdered," Tsubaki screeched, "He was a mess. Someone murdered my outousan!" she cried over and over.

Meisters and weapons were making their way out of the lunch room. Many of them left in whispers as they tried to escape from the scene.

"You've got to help me Black Star" Tsubaki cried, "You got to help me find who did this to him!"

Black Star was stunned. He wanted to cry but couldn't. He had loved Tsubaki's father, who was good to him and treated him like an honored guest when he and Tsubaki visited. His soul reached out to Tsubaki's and he could feel the steel and malice in her along with the grief. She was angry, she wanted revenge, and he knew these feeling all too well.

"We'll get 'em Tsubaki, don't you worry, we'll get 'em'!" His eyes grew starry and his face grew dark. He laid his hand on Tsubaki's shoulder and she felt Black Star's blood lust combine with her own. She stopped crying immediately and pushed herself away from Spirit. Tsubaki bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, but she forced herself to stop crying. She was angry now. She didn't have time to weep now. She dove into weapon form immediately and the black katana filled Black Star's hand.

"It's okay Tsubaki. We'll find whoever did this and make them pay."

"Wait!" Maka said, jumping in front of Black Star. "You can't just go out hunting for the person that killed Tsubaki's father. We can't kill anyone that's not on Lord Death's list."

The katana vibrated angrily in Black Stars hand and he lifted two fingers to his mouth as if to shush Maka.

"I know it's wrong, and I'm angry that your father died Tsubaki. But if you and Black Star go out there like this, you might get hurt or even killed. I'm sure Lord Death has launched an investigation into this and soon as he has a lead I'm sure he'll give it to you." Maka pleaded.

"Maka is right, you can't just go out there and start killing people, you need a plan first." Soul said firmly.

"Then what the hell are we suppose to do? Just sit around here and wait?" Black Star yelled.

"No, you can grieve and hold a memorial," Liz said softly.

Liz had a motherly look about her as she wrapped one arm around Black Star and the other on Tsubaki's hilt. Liz's voice grew soft and compassionated as she murmured things to calm the two of them.

"You're Buddhist, correct?" Spirit questioned Tsubaki.

Tsubaki transformed back from the katana and lay flung across the ground on her hands and knees. She panted softly, trying to hold back her emotions.

"Yes" She answered through gritted teeth.

"We only have seven days to prepare your father for cremation. If you take off now your father will not have his final prayers." Spirit said evenly.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Black Star yelled at Spirit.

"It means if we leave my father might not experience clear light" Tsubaki explained. She rose from the floor, dignified and quiet. She bowed her head and forced the anger from her voice and face. Her tears ended; tradition dictated that she not cry.

Black Star was still angry and didn't know what to say or do. He didn't understand why Tsubaki was so calm all of a sudden.

"It's okay Black Star" Maka said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I'll explain everything to you. Just don't question Tsubaki right now. We need to be supportive."

"I just don't understand." Black Star complained, ripping at his hair. "Why can't we do something?"

"I'm going to take Tsubaki home so we can discuss arrangements." Spirit told Maka.

"I want to go with you" Maka said, gathering her things.

"Stay with Black Star and educate him, I don't want him doing anything stupid that will worry Tsubaki. She needs to concentrate on her father reaching clear light right now, not worrying about Black Star." Spirit said, cupping her face. Maka had forgotten how gentle and sensible her father could be if he tried.

"Is Black Star religious?" Spirit whispered.

"What do you think?" Maka managed a wobbly smile.

"Atheist?"

"I'd say humanist. I don't think Black Star cares about anyone's choices in religion, he just hasn't been taught to respect anything like that." Maka replied, "I'll have a talk with him but if Tsubaki asks for me please call."

"Of course." Spirit kissed his daughter on the head and lead Tsubaki away.


	18. Chapter 18

Soul Eater Forever In The Never After Chapter 18 – REVISION #5 COMPLETED: 1/23/2011 5:00am

**This is just for reference for those wondering what certain words mean and where some of the information Is coming from. You don't have to read it It's a quick reference guide for some of the things that are going on in the story…If you do read it more power to you!**

Okay, author's notes: Buddhism has three major sects. Think of these like Baptist and Catholic, both are Christian but they have slightly different teachings. In Buddhism these sects are recognized as Theravada (The school of the elders) and Mahayana (The great vehicle) Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism) This also a considered part of Mahayana. In this story Maka and Tsubaki are both following Mahayana principles. But Tsubaki is a strict Buddhist meaning she believes one must strive for their whole life to work for enlightenment, where Maka is Shinto/Buddhist meaning the native Japanese culture plays a part in her perspective. Most Shinto Buddhists see themselves as normal people and strive for a moderation in following Buddhist traditions. Basically they aren't as concerned with looking for enlightenment as much as following the path to being a good person. This being said Shinto handles nearly all life events in Japanese culture. It is the native religion of Japan, and is steeped in mysticism and folklore. (Such as a multitude of gods and spirits that inhabit nature. )

**Important definitions:**

**Hotei**: That fat Buddha everyone thinks is Buddha is actually a Shinto god named Hotei. He is the god of happiness, contentment, and a Santa-like figure to children. He also had a thing for liquor.

**Asura**: Japanese word for Demi-God. Can also be considered demon in some phrases.

**Kami**: Supernatural beings, such as gods, spirits and natural spirits. All life possesses Kami: think of it like spirit or magical soul that resides in every living thing from leaves to people.

**The Eight Cycles of Dissolution**: Is a Buddhist belief that you body goes through phases of death. It starts with earth, water, fire and air.

**Clear Light**: Eighth Cycle of Dissolution in Tibetan Buddhist ritual. Mentioned in the Tibetan book of the dead. Basically this is the moment the spirit truly leaves the earth and either heads for Nirvana, or is given the chance to enter the reincarnation cycle.

**Reincarnation Cycle**: There are six forms in reincarnation: Heaven, Human Life, Asura, Hungry Ghost, Animal and Hell. Kid would be a example of a Asura he is a demi-god.

Both heaven and hell have a completely different meaning from the Christian versions. Hell is more like limbo or purgatory and Heaven has 37 levels of happiness. Yes, this part confuses me and I've been studying Buddhism for over three years. Both heaven and hell are not permanent places either. Eventually all people that have not reached enlightenment re-enter the reincarnation cycle.

If you look at Soul Eater as a show, Keishans are Hungry Ghosts. Asura are more like Kid, and of course you can match up all the other characters pretty easily.

**Buddhist Death Ritual: **There are seven days of prayer in a traditional Buddhist funeral. These funeral services varies in distinctive regions around the world. It is said that before the funeral prayers are said intensively for seven days than the monks step in. After which you do prayers for re-incarnation. Reincarnation is said to take a total of 49 days. That's seven days of praying for seven weeks strait. Usually the body is kept within the home during this time, unless it is unsafe or impractical.

**Buddhism in Japan: **Has become a cultural phenomenon. Japanese funerals are typically the most expensive in the world. They are status symbols and many people are tricked into spending too much money. If a family is rich enough they will ask for the body to be kept with the monks longer than traditional 1 day the rest of the world keeps the body. This practice is costly and the monks will continue to say prayers for that person each of the 49 days.

**Jainism**: Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. This religion has a lot of similarity to Buddhism and Taoism as you can see.

**The Seven Hells**: Comes from Jainism. It's the belief that Karmic actions on this earth can cause you to get stuck in the Seven Hells. Ratna prabha, Sharkara prabha, Valuka prabha, Panka prabha, Dhuma prabha, Tamaha prabha, Mahatamaha prabha. These hells are not permanent, just another limbo situation where nasty things happen to you. In this story the seven hells are more weird than evil… I'm not a fire and brim stone kind of writer. So I don't plan on showing Hell as being a horrible place. Instead the hells are portrayed as creepy, and weird places. Sometimes even pretty…

**Taoism**: Chinese Folk Religion combining Buddhism, Confucianism, Chinese martial arts, Zen and Folk Lore together. This religion is most recognized by its symbol the Ying/Yang.

**Forever in the Never After**

**Clear Light: Define Love for me!**

" _Kisagotami came before the Buddha her dead child in her arms and begged for Buddah to bring the child back to life. Buddah then said he would heal the child if Kisagotami brought him one mustard seed from a house that never experienced death. Kisagotami looked everywhere, but everywhere she looked she could not find a household that had not experienced death. Only then did she realize that life has no permanence and death eventually claims us all."_

The lunch room grew silent and the staff was cleaning up and mopping.

"Explain now!" Black Star said dropping to the cafeteria floor and crossing his legs, "What the hell is going on?" He looked to Soul and Soul shrugged.

"Sorry, Granny was Catholic. I don't know a thing about Buddhism or its' death rights. I can't believe Tsubaki is being so strong after losing her dad like that, though." Soul said, kicking at a scuff on the floor.

"Buddhists believe that you can't mourn near a body, or else you will interfere with the loved one entering clear-light." Maka answered.

"What the hell is clear light?" Black Star mumbled, annoyed.

"It's a point of spiritual death where you can stop the cycle of reincarnation. Think of it as something like enlightenment, but it's not completely the same. It basically means that person becomes a being of light, part of a world consciousness. There are seven other ways of being reincarnated if the person doesn't become a being of light. These can also be adversely affected by mourning near the body."

"So are you Buddhist?" Soul questioned.

"Not the same Buddhism as Tsubaki. I'm Shinto and Buddhist." Maka replied quickly, "I practice Shinto ritual but practice Buddhism as well."

"I don't get it. How can you be both?" Soul questioned. This religion stuff was making his head hurt.

"Well, Shinto is a religion that deals with Japan's history and culture. Think of it like Japanese traditions and folk lore that primarily deal with life events, like marriage, births the kami that resides in all things. Buddhism deals primarily with the after life and death, and walking a path of moderation. So it's pretty easy to be both. "

"What is Kami?" Patty questioned, looking confused, "Isn't your mom named Kami?"

"Kami is the spirit of things; ancestors, gods, ghosts, angels, demons, all the force ruled over by one energy. And yes Patty, my mother was named after that type of force"

"So Kami is Kiddo-kun." Patty said, delighted.

"Kami is more than Kid-kun, but he is a part of it. It's hard to explain. There just isn't an English word for it. But that has nothing to do with Tsubaki right now." Maka said, feeling frustrated. "What's important is that we're supportive of Tsubaki. We can't cry and we have to comfort her and send out as many happy thoughts as we can for her Dad so he can reach clear light."

"And what is clear light again?" Liz asked, trying to wrap her mind around the concept.

"Clear light is the happy afterlife all you westerners believe in. Just think of it like that." Maka was trying to not grow angry.

"So basically it's heaven" Soul said trying to translate Maka's information into his own beliefs.

Maka slapped her hand against her head. "Heaven is stage of reincarnation in Buddhism; there is re-incarnation and there is clear light and there is collective consciousness known as transcendence or Nirvana."

"So it's like Star Wars! It's the Force!" Black Star exclaimed. The lights began to flicker on and off above them, the lunchroom staff telling them to leave.

Maka thought for a second and about the analogy and who she was explaining it to. Technically, it was halfway right. She slumped and murmured "Close enough. Yes Black Star, it's the Force."

"Why didn't you just say it was the Force in the first place? We all understand that." Soul groaned.

Maka covered her face with her hands. Centuries of Buddhism reduced to a George Lucas movie. The thought didn't sit well with her but she just couldn't make them understand any other way. All the sudden she felt very alone and she wished she'd gone with Tsubaki. At least she knew what Tsubaki needed.

"So are we all in agreement? We're going to be as happy and comforting as we can be for Tsubaki and her dad's spirit?" Maka asked, getting up from her seat. School was over, they had all missed Gym and it was time to go home She scanned the door hoping Kid would come through it but it never opened.

"What are we going to do about class tomorrow?" Black Star questioned.

"We go; it will be a good distraction for Tsubaki." Soul announced, trying to apply the principles Maka had explained to them.

"One more thing! Black Star, I wanted to tell you it's important that you don't try to get revenge for Tsubaki right now. There are seven days of prayers that are important when someone from a Buddhist family dies. On the last day the monks will come and remove the body and then there will be a service. Tsubaki will continue to pray for around forty nine days after that."

Black Star wiped his bear-like hand down his face in disgust. "Forty-nine days? How the hell are we suppose to catch Tsubaki's father's killer if we have to stick around here for forty-nine days!"

"You don't. Tsubaki needs to stay here and mourn. We can go after him or her when it's time. I'll cook for everyone tonight at your place Black Star, that way I can make sure you and Tsubaki have dinner. I figured we can all just head on over now, since class is over." Maka planned.

"No," Black Star answered firmly, "Tsubaki isn't going to want company right now. I know her; she likes to handle things alone, in her own way. Don't worry though; I'll take care of her."

"Then Maka can cook at home and I'll deliver it after dinner." Liz offered, "I'll just knock on the door and leave it."

"We need to come up with a plan to catch Wes and Murder tonight. That way we have plenty of time to spend making Tsubaki feel good tomorrow." Patty said enthusiastically as they left the Academy.

_I hope the two events aren't related._ Maka thought to herself_. They couldn't be, right?_Maka smiled at Patty, and leaned against Patty's shoulder. "Patty is probably right. We should see if we can dig up any info on the Lazarus thieves to make sure Tsubaki's dad's death isn't related to their most recent actions."

"Maka do you think it would be okay to buy flowers for Tsubaki's dad?" Soul asked.

"You need to wait on that until the funeral." Maka whispered, "I'll explain more about this when it's time for the funeral but I think it will just cause more confusion if we talk about it now."

Soul nodded his head.

"I'm going home guys; I want to check on her." Black Star announced, taking off down the road.

"If you need anything at all call Maka's." Liz called.

"Please behave yourself Black Star! Don't talk about Tsubaki's father unless she wants to. Try not to annoy her, and don't bug her if she's praying!" Maka lectured.

"I will. I'll tell her you all want to come over, and let her know I told you to stay away. If I'm wrong and she wants company I'll give you guys a call." Black Star replied.

Soul, Liz, Patty and Maka continued the walk home.

"Poor Tsubaki." Patty mumbled.

Soul stretched his arms back into an arch. "I hope Black Star knows what he's doing. If it were me, I wouldn't want to be alone. I'd want as many people around me as I could possibly get."

"Tsubaki is a good Buddhist, things are different in our religions than they are in yours."

"Yeah, I don't really get that. Your dad, isn't he part of some universal church thing? What's it called…..Scientology or something?"

"Yes, but mom was Japanese and grew up Shinto Buddhist so I was raised Shinto Buddhist Unfortunately the closest Buddhist temple to Death City is in North Las Vegas."

"That's a little bit of a drive." Liz commented.

"Yes it is," Maka sighed, "I wonder if they'll call in a monk from there or if they'll have Lord Death or Kid perform the rights."

"I think it would be risky bringing a monk here that doesn't know what's going on, but who knows, maybe Lord Death already has a monk on the payroll."

"Why do you need a monk exactly?" Patty questioned.

"There are certain prayers that need to be said over the body. These are performed by monks. There are also certain procedures that need to be followed. They called until the last day of prayers though, before we have the funeral. I wonder if they're going to lead the body through town or if they will do that back in Japan? Will we need to send his remains home to be cremated or will they do it here? God, I can't imagine having to make those decisions on my own. Hopefully Papa is being helpful for a change and is helping Tsubaki."

"Kid-kun knows all about that kind of thing, they'll probably ask him do it, if they haven't already." Liz commented. "Do you think that's why they called him away?"

"Why does Kid know how to do all this stuff?" Soul asked, disgusted.

"Because he's a reaper, that's sort of his job." Maka answered.

"That and he owns a shit load of funeral parlors, so he sees this sort of thing daily." Liz added.

"I didn't know that." Maka exclaimed, intrigued.

"Funeral parlors – him? Isn't that a conflict of interest?" Soul snorted, "He reaps their souls, then steals their money to stuff them in a box!"

"Kid-kun is obsessed with making death gentler, less traumatic to the soul. He thinks it's going to be his legacy as the next Lord Death. He doesn't want people to suffer when dying. It's kind of a beautiful goal, don't you think? I'm sure that his reasons for running funeral parlors contribute to that goal." Maka replied dreamily.

Patty, Liz and Soul turned to Maka abruptly.

"You sound like Aniki." Patty announced.

"That's because I agree with him and want to help him. There are too many souls in the world for Kid to take care of by himself. If he makes the changes he's talking about it will be a whole new world. I just wish I he wouldn't run himself ragged, trying to do everything alone. Even if it is supposed to be the Shinigami way."

"I knew you'd be on our side! You don't want to see Kid take over for Lord Death either!" Patty said excitedly.

Maka looked to Patty abruptly. "What?…No! I want Kid to take over the netherworld; I think it's for the best."

"What? You want to let Aniki imprison himself in the Never After so that Lord Shinigami can get out and fool around? Maka I thought you would understand! Kid-kun would go nuts all alone in the Never After." Patty shrieked.

"He's not exactly stable as it is." Liz interjected.

"You're wrong. Kid is doing well. He's getting stronger, he's having fewer attacks, and he's not wigging out so much. Kid is an incredibly altruistic person, and he's not going to be alone, because I'm going to be there with him. I plan on supporting him every step of the way."

"Does Kid know that's why you said you'd go to the netherworld with him? Just so he wouldn't have to be alone?" Liz snapped defensively.

"I have more reasons than that. Actually, I've already thought this through quite a bit."

Soul felt like he'd been struck by a bolt of lightning and stopped in his tracks, too stunned to move. Maka was planning to go to the Never After? With Kid? That couldn't be what Liz had said. Could it?

"You're planning on going into the netherworld?" He gasped.

"Actually I've already been. The night I went to dinner with Papa he took me into the netherworld."

Liz looked concerned, "Isn't that kind of scary? That's where all the dead go." she hugged herself and shuddered.

Maka looked thoughtful. "I don't think it was scary at all. Lord Death's place is like a fun house, and Kid was there. We just kind of goofed off and hung around all night."

Maka had a sudden flash of her first kiss, and how hard Kid had tried that night. She remembered his wet shirt, toweling his dripping black hair and the way he looked after changing into that Renaissance shirt. Her cheeks warmed at the memory and she smiled to herself.

"I want to go to the netherworld! Kid's never bothered taking us." Patty complained, pulling Maka out of her reverie.

"I figured you two would have already been." Maka commented wistfully.

"No we haven't, because Liz is a big coward. She's afraid we'll see a ghost and she doesn't understand that there are seven hells and places to go in the netherworld."

"You're afraid of ghosts Liz? Why? It's not like they do anything much. When Kid took me on a reap only thing we did was talk to it and then help it move on."

"He took you on a reap?" Liz and Soul screeched.

"I've never gotten to go on a reap! How come Maka gets to do everything cool? OOOh! Aniki is going to get it when he comes home. I want to go on a reap! I want to go on a reap right now!" Patty hollered.

"I don't think we're supposed to be going on reaps, that's Shinigami stuff. Kid says they're messy and awful." Liz whimpered fearfully.

"You took some one's life with Kid?" Soul asked incredulously. What the hell was going on?

"It's not like that; they're already dead in a way. Their time is up, but sometimes they're still walking around."

"So what did you do, shoot them? No that can't be right, Patty and Liz haven't been on a reap so you two couldn't have shot them." Soul imagined Maka strangling some poor old woman to death before whipping out a scythe and slicing out her soul. It was a gruesome image. Then he remembered that _he_ was Maka's scythe and he hadn't been with her either.

"It's not like that at all! Death is messy, and people need to be reassured after they die. They're nervous and scared and don't know what to do."

"So you saw a ghost…" Liz whimpered louder.

"And you killed someone." Soul added.

Maka looked at her friends angrily." God you just don't get it! You should go on a reap with Kid sometime, and then you'll understand."

"I don't want to." Soul and Liz yelled at the same time. They were nearly home and several neighbors looked to see what all the carrying on was about.

"I want to! I want to go on a reap with Kid and Maka. Maybe we can kill a giraffe or a pencil-necked geek," Patty got a goofy look and hugged Maka, "You're so cool. I wish I could be just like you. You and Aniki fit together perfectly. You're probably the only other person in the world that actually understands him besides me."

Maka blushed a bit. When Patty hugged her she felt the soul resonance snap shut between them. She could feel how sincere Patty was, and how much admiration the girl had for her.

"Wow, Patty I didn't know you felt that way."

"I do. I should be your partner, not that stubborn octopus."

"Why does everyone keep calling me an octopus?" Soul complained, unlocking the apartment door. He looked back and sneered at Patty, "And you can just forget that pipe dream, it ain't gonna happen. I'm Maka's partner."

"Yes, but I'm better at it than you!" Patty said glomping on to Maka tighter, "I understand how Maka feels and unlike you I accept the fact she's with Aniki."

"But we're _Kiddo's _weapons" Liz said, trying to settle Patty down.

"For now…" Patty said loftily, "Maybe when we evolve into Death Scythes I can be Maka's partner and you can be Kid's."

"That is so not going to happen. I'm Maka's weapon, you little brat!" Soul repeated.

Liz looked at Patty, mortified. She didn't understand where all this talk about splitting up was coming from. Patty had always looked up to Liz but lately she seemed to be forging her own path and Liz felt alone and left behind. "You know Kid can't move unless he's completely balanced, he couldn't fight with just one gun."

Patty bounced around Soul singing. "When you evolve you'll be a Death Scythe, and Maka won't have anyone to protect her. You'll probably get sent back to England or wherever you're from. Sucks to be you! Sucks to be you! You're a stupid octopus and it sucks to be yoooouuuu!" she stopped bouncing and flicked Soul's ear.

"Quit!', Soul snarled, shoving her down. Patty came up swinging.

Liz gave an exasperated sigh and grabbed Patty's arm.

"You know, I think everybody's just a little too worked up right now. Patty and I are gonna take off for a while. We'll come back later to pick up dinner for Black Star and Tsubaki." Liz gave Maka an embarassed smile and dragged Patty out the door and down the hall, Patty cussing and ranting all the way.

"Why does she think I'll get sent away if I become a Death Scythe?" Soul's voice caught in his throat. Kid was going to be the next Lord Death, which meant Soul was evolving to be _Kid's_ weapon. He looked over at Maka and understood what she had said in the lunch line. If she was a Shinigami maybe he could remain as her weapon. Did Maka want to be a Shinigami, so the two of them could remain Meister and Weapon? He looked up at Maka who had been quiet since he and Patty had started trash talking each other.

"Maka are you becoming a Shinigami, so we can stay together?"

Maka looked at him, excited. Was Soul coming to terms with her decision?

"You're my best friend Soul; of course I would like us to stay together as a team. Like Patty said, you're family to me! But that's not the only reason I'm choosing to become a Shinigami. I don't want Kid to be trapped in the netherworld alone. I'm also kind of disturbed by the way Lord Death reaps and I want Kid-kun to take over the netherworld and bring his dream of a gentler death to fruition. I don't want to just kill pre-kishins, I want to help him with the regular people in the world. I want to be a Shinigami so I can help people experience gentler, cleaner deaths, and bring more balance to the netherworld." Maka kept the last reason to herself. She knew Soul wouldn't want to hear it, and she was still concerned that the feelings she was having might not be real or, worse yet, weren't permanent.

Soul looked at her sadly before turning his eyes away. He didn't understand half the things Maka was saying – she sounded too much like Kid. What had Maka seen that was making her spout nonsense about balance and gentle death? It felt like these words were not her own, but Soul could feel that she had embraced them. More over it sounded like Maka had already made a decision about Kid. The way Maka was talking she saw Soul as her friend and family and he would never be able to cross that line. Soul though his heart was breaking. Why wasn't he good enough for her? What did Kid have that he didn't have more of? He was certainly cooler. Handsomer too, and his albino coloring made him unique. He was naturally talented and considered a genius at the piano, though Maka hardly ever heard him play. He was strong, chivalrous-hell; the only thing that Kid had more of than he had was problems.

He looked at Maka again. Maka liked taking care of people, she was a natural caregiver. She obsessed over small things like cooking dinner, making sure Soul's clothes were ironed and that everything in the house was proper. Was that it? Did Maka want someone she could fawn over and take care of? Someone she could play house with and do the sweet little wife act for? Kid certainly seemed to appreciate those stupid little things. He'd been enamored with Maka over that a stupid tea ceremony. What the hell was so great about drinking tea…?

Maka began making her way to the refrigerator and Soul watched her pull out a large pot roast and some vegetables and begin working her magic on them. If Maka wanted to feel more needed, he could give her that.

Soul had been fighting with the idea that his brother might be dead all day. Pillsbottom's class hadn't done anything to remedy the situation and Soul found himself thinking of Wes during the whole lecture. Pillsbottom had finally discussed something that had hit home. According to him a person without a soul was dead. A person whose time had expired could be walking around and breathing, but they were still dead. Evidently people had hourglasses inside them and Lord Death collected the hour glasses from the walking dead. That was considered a reap.

Soul eyes fell over Maka again longingly. Maka had been on a real reap. Actual experience, not just theory out of a textbook. But how damn magical could picking up an hourglass from a dead person be? Why the hell was it cool enough to leave her spouting nonsense like Kid?

Souls mind turned from Maka back to Wes again. Did Wes still have an hour glass? Did Wes still have a soul? Soul just didn't know at this moment. Somehow losing Maka and Wes just kept twisting together in his mind. The more Maka seemed to pull toward Kid, the more Soul wondered if his brother was dead. It was completely illogical but the events left the same bad taste in his mouth.

Soul woke up from la-la-land to hear the sizzling of meat on the stove. Maka had taken the roast and had plopped it down in a pan of oil.

"That'll never get done if you cook it that way. It'll be tough outside and raw in the center."

"I'm just caramelizing the outside of it. I'm going to drop it into the pressure cooker. That way it'll get done faster and Tsubaki and Black Star won't have to wait all night for dinner."

Soul left his seat on the couch, walked over and crossed his arms around Maka's waist. He pressed the line of his body into hers. Soul knew it was an intimate gesture. He felt Maka stiffen against him and something low in his groin tightened. She gave him an annoyed look, but apparently decided not to argue the issue.

"What's a pressure cooker?"

Maka showed Soul the strange pot. It had a weird lid with a rubber ring inside it and a lock on the top

"My grandma always baked hers in the oven. She baked it all day until it fell apart." Soul said.

"Do you think Tsubaki will like pot roast? I mean she's Japanese and this is something Americans and you English people like to eat." Maka stared at the roast nervously.

"I don't think she will dislike it, everything you cook is amazing. Well everything but that fried chicken you made that one time. It put a hole in the wall when I threw it."

Maka laughed a little and loosened up in Souls arms. "Yeah that chicken was pretty bad. I got a better recipe for it. I found out that Chicken Katsu is similar to that fried chicken you like."

"So in Japanese it's called Chicken Katsu? You really work hard trying to come up with meals for me that are like the ones I eat at home don't you?"

"Of course I do. I do most of the cooking and you're not used to Japanese foods and flavors. There is nothing worse than having to eat food you don't like day in and day out. Eating things you're used to makes it feel more like home, right?"

Soul buried his face in Maka's neck and left a kiss there. "I appreciate the way you try to make this apartment into a home for us. I see now that you've been trying to show me what your idea of a family is. I was just too dumb to notice it before. Somebody had to yell at me and point it out."

Maka's cheeks grew red and she backed away from the stove and out of Soul's grasp. She grabbed her tongs and brandished them like a weapon.

"You need to quit doing stuff like that."

Soul voice was husky, "I can't help myself. I want you and I miss you."

"I…I have a boyfriend." Maka argued. The waver in her voice told Soul how unsure she was.

"I know that, but you don't understand how much I need you. How vulnerable I am. Can't you quit being an ice queen for a second and comfort me? For god's sake Maka, I just lost my brother. I don't know which way's up or down anymore. I need something in my life that's stable, something that I can cling to that's the same."

Soul turned off the stove and pressed his body up against Maka's again. The motion pushed her to the wall and his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her body against his.

"I need you. Please help me; I don't know what to do. You know how lost I'd be without you. "

Soul pressed his lips to Maka's and noticed she tried to half hug him. Then she pulled away. "I can't do this. Soul you need to quit trying to kiss me."

"Please comfort me." Soul whispered clinging onto to Maka, his eyes clouding over with lust. He wanted to erase Maka's memories of whatever she was doing with Kid. He wanted her drown in his feelings and his desires.

Maka flicked the stove back on ignoring Soul. "I don't know what I can do for you. I'm sorry about your brother, and if you need me to hold you and let you cry I will, but you can't just start kissing me and touching me like I'm your lover."

_Lovers, that's what I want. I want us to be lovers,_ Soul realized. Suddenly it all made sense. His body was hungry for her. He was angry and emotional all the time because someone was coming between them and he felt threatened. Someone was trying to take away what was his. Soul wrapped his arms around Maka again, this time forcefully so she couldn't slip away from him. He breathed in Maka's scent, it was fresh but almost overwhelmed by the food she was cooking. His breath drifted against her ear. He considered biting her earlobe to see what she would do, but decided against it.

Instead he chose to whisper in Maka's ear. "You let Kid wrap his arms around your waist and I know you let him kiss you. Why won't you let me? Don't you think it's unfair that he gets to show you how he feels and I'm not? Are you afraid you might like me better? Cause I can tell you Maka, you will, I'm better than Death the Kid in every way."

Soul couldn't see Maka's face but he could see her ears turn red. She must be blushing, probably excited by the closeness of their bodies. Soul let his hand fall to Maka's thigh, his fingertips playing with the edge of her skirt as he pushed into her against the wall once again.

"I'll let you in on a little secret Maka; I love you a hell of a lot more than him or I wouldn't be trying so hard not to lose you. Have you thought about that?"

"Love isn't enough." Maka said sternly.

"What do you mean love isn't enough… what else is there? Is it sex? If sex is what you want I'll take you into your bedroom and bang your damn brains out." Soul chuckled

Maka blushed furiously. "You idiot! How can you think that's what I want when I keep telling you not to touch me like this?"

Soul's behavior was making Maka feel ashamed and uneasy. She wriggled out of his arms and went back to her pressure cooker.

"Then what do you want Maka?" Soul complained trying once again to turn Maka away from the stove so she would stop messing with the roast and look at him. "You told me all men are cheaters once. What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm not cheating! We were never a couple; you never showed any interest in me whatsoever until Kid started pursuing me. You never said anything, you never kissed me, and you didn't even act like I even existed as anything but your Meister! You make fun of me and you've never understood how important you are to me. I tried to show you I loved you by buying little gifts, cooking your favorite things, always putting you first and you never even noticed…not a word of thanks!" Maka was in full rant mode now, grasping for anything she could be angry about, "You could at least take off your shoes when you come into the house!" She bickered.

Soul kicked off his shoes under the table. "There! Happy now? My shoes are off; now tell me what's more important than love in a relationship. Answer me – I want to know what so damn important that it supersedes loving someone."

Maka tried to calm herself down now that he wasn't trying to touch her. The touching made her feel queasy and she kept worrying that Kid would burst in and there would be a big misunderstanding. She sat Soul down in a chair and gave him a potato peeler and some potatoes to keep his hands busy so they could talk reasonably.

"I don't think love is enough to forge a permanent relationship on. Look at the world around you: people have children together and get divorced so easily that marriage doesn't mean anything anymore. I made up my mind a long time ago that if I was going to settle down with someone I wanted it to be forever. I would never allow myself to divorce and put my family through what my parents did to me. I started questioning couples I knew, mainly elderly people that were around, like my grandma and grandpa and I found that the couples that managed to stay together had one thing in common. They worked together for one common future, a dream for lack of a better term. So when you asked me what is more important than love in a relationship, I would say sharing the same goals and dreams with the person you're with is more important than love."

"But that means the two people would have to be exactly alike." Soul disputed.

"Let me give you the antithesis of what I'm saying and why I think it's important. Momma and Papa were in love, but after a while they grew out of love. The problem was Momma never bothered to see if Papa wanted the same future as she did. Momma wanted to travel the world and write and be a journalist, and Papa just wanted a family and to stay put. He was happy here at the academy and with his job. In the end Momma blamed Papa because she couldn't complete her dreams. She ended up hating Papa because she thought he was the reason she couldn't have what she wanted, and Papa hated the fact that he wasn't enough for her. So he cheated on her. He cheated on her constantly to spite her and to prove to himself that someone else could love him. I don't want to be like my parents, Soul. I want a relationship that has goals and dreams that we both can work for. I want to work together with someone I love to achieve a common future, because that's the glue that holds people together. Love isn't enough, sex isn't enough, and children are not enough. None of those things will help a couple stay together because they can't. Most people change at some point and just say 'I'm tired of you' and bail out of the relationship."

Soul snorted, "You're talking about stuff that doesn't even matter yet Maka. I'm just talking about dating, not marriage or children or anything like that."

"But this is important to me Soul. I'm trying to tell you I can't be with someone that doesn't have goals. You don't have goals like this, or at least you don't tell me what your goals are. At one time I thought you did – I thought you wanted to be a Death Scythe, to be the best of Lord Death's weapons. But you just abandoned that dream and left me hanging."

Maka felt a wave of anguish and she looked at Soul sadly. This was going to hurt him and she didn't want to say it, but she knew it would be the only way to convince Soul to back off. "You can't be with me, because you don't know what you want out of life yet. You don't have a strong enough sense of direction, and right now I feel we're walking down two different paths."

"What's wrong with not knowing what you want out of life? Your talking like your whole life is set in stone and laid out for you. If that's what you want then maybe you can fill me in on what the hell it is that I need to be doing."

"I want to help people, but you already know that. I didn't have a clue about how I was going to do it till I started talking to Kid. Then I realized Kid wanted the same things I did. He wants to help people and he has a purpose and dreams and goals he's already working on. Basically, he has a stronger sense of how to accomplish what I wanted than I did, and it impressed me. He's a good person Soul. I know you don't see it, but he gives all of himself to the dead souls of the world, and I think I fell in love with him for that reason. I don't blame you for not having a direction Soul, I said I just recently developed one myself, but I still think we're at different points in our lives and maybe we're growing too different to be anything more than friends. I do love you, but I'm not in love with you anymore."

"Meaning you were in love with me one time, and I waited too long to show you how I felt." Soul broke down sand sobbed. It was completely un-cool but he couldn't stop himself. He wanted to scream or break something instead, but he was too exhausted. He hadn't understood much of what Maka was talking about. She felt light years away from him right now.

Maka walked over and smoothed out Soul's hair and cradled his slumped body while he cried. Soul picked his head up off the table and pushed his face into her shirt.

"I know it's a lot, and it's horrible timing, but it's better if we get this all out in the open. I don't want to wait till after I'm a Shinigami or, worse yet, dead without telling you why I'm doing the things that I am. I do love you Soul. You're my best friend – you're my family, you've been my family ever since we moved in together and I don't want to see you hurt. I'm sorry I can't be more to you, that I can't just wait around but my time is almost up and one way or another I have to make a choice about the way I'm going to spend the rest of my life."


	19. Chapter 19

Soul Eater: Forever In The Never After Chapter 19 – REVISION 3 – 1/14/11

Maka stood up, tossed the vegetables into pressure cooker and fastened down the lid. Soul gave a hiccupping sob. She poured him a glass of water and he drank it down greedily. Maka wrapped her arm around him until he quieted down again.

Kid slipped in the front door and made a b-line straight for Maka. Entering the kitchen, he saw there was something weird going on. Soul was crying and Maka was trying to comfort him, but she had him in a rather awkward looking embrace. Maka backed off from Soul as soon as she noticed Kid. Kid held up his hand and motioned to tell her that it was all right.

"Soul are you okay?" Kid asked trying to sound deeply concerned.

"Yeah everything is just peachy. I guess I've got to straighten myself up since your boyfriend is here." Soul spat at Maka.

"Why would you need to do that?" Kid asked, taking a seat at the table next to Soul.

"Maka said I can't touch her anymore. I get it now, you win I lose. I really didn't even have much of a chance in the first place, did I Maka?"

Maka's brows furrowed, "Soul I'm sorry."

Soul got up from the table and began making his way out of the room, but Kid caught his arm. "You're mad at me. Don't be angry with her, there is no reason for you to be so rude and hurtful to her."

"What are you going to say next…you won't tolerate it? Just butt out already."

Kid blanched, that _had_ been what he was thinking. Once again, he felt ashamed of his attitude. He stood up and grabbed Soul into a big hug.

"I know I've screwed things up. It was never my intention to come between the two of you and your friendship."

"I know, I know already - you love her she loves you… just get the hell off of me already. I don't want your weird man hugs."

Kid looked over Soul's shoulder at Maka and smiled a bit, he was delighted to hear Soul say that Maka loved him. It would make things easier now that he understood that. Kid hugged Soul even tighter and whispered into his ear.

"Aww.. you don't have to be that way. I'm not taking Maka away from you, you can still be friends and partners and do almost everything you do now. I just expect you to act more like a brother to her instead of being a conniving little…"

Kid stopped mid sentence, pushing down his jealousy, "There I go again, getting all jealous of you. Sometimes I just can't stop my mouth from running."

Soul grunted and tried to break the embrace, but Kid just didn't move. It was impossible to push a Shinigami around if the god didn't allow it.

"Get off of me." Soul growled again.

Kid sat Soul back down in the chair but kept one of his arms on Soul's shoulder, holding him still and pressing him into the seat. Kid was in no mood for Soul's antics and Soul was obviously in no mood for his, so the power struggle continued.

"Something smells good, Maka what are you making?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yankee pot roast. It's one of Soul's favorites. I'm making extra for Tsubaki and Black Star so they won't have to cook tonight."

The mention of Tsubaki made Kid's stomach drop.

"That's good of you, they probably could use a good meal, considering."

"What did you have to go take care of?" Maka questioned.

"I'll talk about that with you later, when others aren't around."

"Don't let me stop you…" Soul said, wiggling away from Kid, "Why don't you two go ahead and get out of here so you can have some privacy and talk about all your stupid reaper stuf. Better yet, keep Maka with you, Kid. That way I don't have to look at her."

Maka looked at Soul incredulously. "Are you throwing me out?"

"Since we're on such different paths, and I'm evidently a loser with no direction in life, maybe we should take a break from each other."

Maka twisted the dishtowel in her hands. Her knuckles went from red to white. "I don't think you're a loser. That's not what I said."

"Just go ahead and leave already. I'm sure Kid has some place you can sleep."

The pressure cooker's lid began whistling loudly and Maka took it from the stove. Soul stared at it, annoyed. "You know what, screw it, I'm going out for pizza."

He grabbed his coat and headed out the door. Kid looked after him, pissed, and Maka slunk to the floor as the front door banged shut.

"Okay, that was just plain rude."

"He's mad at me because I told him what my intentions are and what I wanted."

Kid bit his tongue to keep from saying anything more. He didn't need to add more fuel to the fire. Maka was hurting enough, and Black Star's words still rang in his ears.

"He'll come around Maka, he just needs some time. You probably hurt his manly pride. We get kind of goofy about that, and we do stupid and mean things when we feel threatened."

"What the hell am I going to do tonight?" Maka moaned.

"I have no issue with you staying the night at The Gallows, but I promised my father I would come home and spend more time with him. He was pretty depressed yesterday and I want to keep a close eye on him."

"Lord Death gets depressed?"

"All the time." Kid said quietly.

"Wow, I would have never thought someone as powerful as Lord Death would be bothered by anything."

"Do you want to come with me, or do you want to spend the night with the girls?"

Maka almost said she wanted to spend the night with Liz and Patty, but then remembered that she still hadn't heard what Death had said about her becoming a Shinigami. She quickly changed her mind.

"I guess I'll go with you into the Never After."

Maka watched as the look on Kid's face changed from one of surprise to one of flattery. She got up and wandered back to the stove to check on dinner.

"Really? That's great! Dad will be happy to have some more company. I've tried bringing the girls over but Liz is too terrified to enter the netherworld and she won't let Patty go for fear she might actually like it and get dragged in by Dad and I."

"Kid-kun, why is it called the Never After anyway?"

"You remember all those grim fairy tales when you were younger, _Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood_, and such?"

Maka put the pressure cooker in a bath of cold water and hit the release mechanism on the top of the pot. It whistled loudly and Kid had to raise his voice over the noise.

"Well the last line of those stories is 'they lived happily ever after'. But in the original tales before the Gutenberg printing presses published the Grimm brothers, the stories read 'and they lived happily in the Never After'. You see, all those stories were used to frighten children into behaving, so naturally they always ended with the main character dying."

"Wow.. I think I read something similar once in a Kim Harrison book. For some reason that just sort of slipped my mind."

"Most things concerning death slip people's minds because they don't want to deal with it."

Maka began assembling plates of pot roast and vegetables for Liz and Patty and filled a Tupperware container for Soul. Just because he was angry at her didn't mean she wouldn't feed him. She locked the lid back on the pressure cooker to seal in the heat and put it in her big canvas bag so Liz could take it to Black Star.

Maka watched as Kid snuck a small bite from Patty's plate.

"There's plenty here. If you want some, I can make you a plate too."

"No, no. Dad is cooking tonight. It's one of the things he really enjoys. This is really good though. Too bad Soul ran out."

"I made him a plate." Maka sighed, "He can have pizza, but I've got pot roast in the Tupperware for him when he gets hungry again. I'll pack Liz and Patty's plates – that way they can take it home, since it looks like I'm having dinner at Lord Death's."

"You're very forgiving, you know that?" Kid mumbled, kissing Maka's hair.

"I screw up a lot. I feel like I spend my whole life apologizing to him. I'm always saying or doing something stupid and Soul gets hurt."

"That's because no matter how hard you try you can't fit a square peg into a round hole. You two just don't really match that well. You have amazing resonance and you're amazing in a fight, but emotionally you're so suspicious of each other. It's nerve racking to watch the two of you. I mean, how the hell can you have a relationship when you don't have any trust?"

"He thinks I'm an uncaring bitch because I won't kiss him to make him feel better."

Kid's eyebrow twitched. "You're not his girlfriend; he just started getting possessive when I started putting the moves on you."

"I know, right? I said the same thing."

"Must be another part of that stupid Dude Code…I'm going to have Black Star explain it to me some day when he has the time. So I know what the hell I'm doing that's pissing the two of them off so badly." Kid grumbled.

"Dude Code?"

"Yeah, evidently it's some unspoken law between men that they're born following. Nobody told me about any guy code though. The two of them keep getting mad at me for breaking this rule and that rule when I don't even understand what the rules are."

"Wait, there's some rule book out there that tells you how men think?" Maka asked, excited.

"I'm not sure, but I certainly haven't found it. I've checked three bookstores and the library already. When I asked the librarian he just laughed his ass off at me and told me to ask my dad."

"I'd like to read that book." Maka said wistfully.

"You and me both." Kid sighed.

Maka wrapped her arms around Kid's neck. "Well I don't care if you don't follow some secret guy rules. I think maybe that's why you're so cute, because you don't act like some stupid smelly guy all the time."

Kid gave her a wide smile, "You think I'm cute."

Maka swung Kid hands playfully, entwining her fingers with both of his.

"Yes. I'm glad you're different too – I don't think I could take another Soul or Black Star."

Kid's smile got even wider, he had never been called cute once in his life. He was a grim reaper, something to be feared, to be afraid of. Kid snuggled into Maka, feeling incredibly happy. "Well I guess we should tell the girls what's going on and get over to Dad's."

"Dad's?" Maka asked, "You never call Lord Death 'Dad', it's always 'Lord Shinigami' or 'honorable father'."

Kid snickered a bit. "I do actually call him 'Dad', just not around other people. I'm making an exception for you."

"Why don't you give Liz and Patty a call and tell them to come back so we can get going?" Maka suggested.

"Where are they, anyway?" Kid asked, grabbing the phone off the counter.

"Patty got into it with Soul and Liz took her outside to cool down. " Maka replied as she packed up the rest of the dinner.

Evidently Liz and Patty hadn't gone far; they were at the door less than fifteen minutes after Kid called them.

Maka handed Liz the canvas bag full of food.

"Oi, what's this? It weighs a ton!" Liz exclaimed

"Dinner for you guys and Black Star and Tsubaki." Kid answered, "I'm stealing Maka," He added.

"Aniki when did you sneak in?"

"Oh, I came in about the same time Soul stormed out in a tizzy."

Patty's eyes narrowed, "Where did that Soul go, anyway?" she growled, evidently spoiling for another fight.

"To get pizza. He didn't want to eat what I made." Maka sighed.

"Well that's rude! Does he do that a lot?" Liz exclaimed.

"No, Soul is just angry at me. I said some very cruel but honest things to him and he didn't like it."

"We're going to give him some space so you girls are going to drop off Tsubaki's food and Maka and I are heading off to the netherworld for the night."

Liz shuddered. "Why the hell would you want to do that? Who wants to spend an evening in the Never After?"

"I do, I do!" Patty said, jumping up and down. "I want to go see the seven hells and Lord Death!"

"Were not going to hell Patty, you can forget about it."

"But Maka gets to go! I want to go too."

"Maka's going to be a Death god and for some reason she's not afraid of things she should be afraid of. Like getting trapped in the netherworld with Lord Death."

"God you're such a coward Liz!" Patty grumped.

"I don't care, I'm your older sister and I have to keep us safe."

Patty turned on her heels and headed out the door.

"Where are you going?" Liz questioned.

"Home! You can deliver that stupid stuff to stupid Black Star yourself."

"Patty, why are you so mad at me?"

"I wish Maka was my sister instead of you, at least she's not a coward."

Liz was quiet and Maka looked at her apologetically.

Kid reached out rubbed his hands against Liz's arms. "You two going to be ok tonight?"

"I don't know what's wrong with her lately; this is the second time today she's jumped all over me. And it took me forty-five minutes and two ice-cream sodas to calm her down after she got pissed at Soul."

"I think we're all just unnerved by the fact someone is targeting people that are close to us. These Lazarus thieves are trying to scare all of us and it's working. If my hunch is correct they will try to use our confusion and emotional distress to attack us while we are disorganized."

"You think someone is going to attack us tonight?" Liz asked worriedly.

"What better time to do it than when we're all either grieving or arguing. Don't worry though; you and Patty will be safe at The Gallows. I left a little surprise for any intruder that comes calling."

"What about you and Maka?"

"No one is stupid enough to attack Lord Death in his own reality. It would be suicide."

"…Soul!" Maka gasped. "Maybe I shouldn't leave. Soul will be unprotected, and I don't like leaving knowing he's mad and not thinking clearly."

"He's a guy; give him some time to get over it. If you hang on him and try to talk about it he'll get even more pissed." Kid replied.

Kid opened his hand and crackling energy began flying around the room. Maka watched in awe as skull symbols pounded into the walls of the small apartment and Kid's magic drew strange runes and glyphs of light on the ceiling and walls. Maka reached out with her soul and felt cosmic energy etch its way into every article in the apartment.

"What…what was that?" Liz asked, frightened.

"Something to protect Soul."

Maka ran her fingers over the walls she had seen the runes appear on. She could feel the magic in them. "You didn't just protect this building. I feel magic all over town."

"Ah that's father's magic you're feeling. He is doing something similar right now. Mine is just extended to our immediate relations and the folks in this building since they are connected to you structurally. I cast similar magics on Tsubaki and Black Star's house and your father's before coming over. This way if someone tries something, they will be warded by the magic and I will feel it."

"How is the spell designed to stop an intruder, exactly?" Maka questioned.

Kid took Maka's hand afraid to say anything in front of Liz. Maka's mind meshed with his and she saw images of the spell in his memory.

Kid's prey walked toward him she believed she had the upper hand then he smirked. Suddenly the walls of the building sprouted hands and tore at the pre-kieshen. It tried to run but skeletal bodies came from the wall grabbing at their prey. Maka watched silently as the pre-kieshen struggled. There was a sickening crunching noise and a popping that came from the pre-kieshen's body. Blood sprayed everywhere, painting the walls and floors. This was Shinigami magic, this was magic used to punish the truly wicked. Maka watched as the blood seemed to absorb into the floors and walls leaving no trace it had ever been. She watched Kid smiled wickedly and pocket the glowing red soul.

Maka shuddered and Kid rubbed her arms. She watched as the look of Shinigami crossed his face and he fought it back down. She spoke through resonance.

"_I'd say Soul is and everyone else is pretty safe. That memory… that was before you met Patty and Liz right?_"

"_How can you tell?_" Kid asked.

"_Because that's not the Kid-kun I know, you seemed like you enjoyed it_."

_"That pre-kieshen was a particularly nasty character, her name was Lilith and she was stealing infants from their mothers and devouring them alive. Because of that I gave her no mercy."_

Maka tried to warm herself – she felt cold all over. Kid's mind had felt steely, he was not sorry for the way he destroyed the pre-kieshen. She always believed she was delivering justice when she slew the pre-kieshens.After all, Pre-kieshens were undead monsters, creatures that preyed on the living. Ghosts that left an imprint on the world so strong that they remained alive even after their souls were reaped. They were as close to akuma as Maka had ever seen these hungry ghosts.

"You are upset at me for using such magic. Does it make you frightened of me?"

"No, I was thinking about what you said, about not showing mercy to pre-kieshens. I see it as justice even if the technique is quite frightening."

"Hey love birds, mind telling me what you two are talking about? You just zoned out looking into each other's eyes for a second and then you start talking about weird stuff."

"Nothing important, I was just sharing a moment with my beloved." Kid explained, blowing off Liz's question.

Maka gently squeezed Liz's shoulder. "I think everyone will be safe tonight, Kid's spell is a really strong one."

Liz let out a breath and adjusted the food in her arms. "That's good. Well I guess I'd better get this food to Black Star and Tsubaki before it gets cold."

"Yeah, we're on our way too." Kid replied, looking for a mirror in the house that would be big enough to climb into.

Liz left and Maka was in the house alone with Kid. She noticed Kid was looking around for something but for the life of her she didn't know what.

"You know, last time I forgot to pack my uniform and stuff. Do you mind if I get some things before we go?"

"No, sure, go ahead." Kid answered, moving away from Maka into the kitchen, and then into the laundry room.

"Kiddo-kun what are you looking for?" Maka called out from her bedroom where she was throwing clothes into a bag.

"A mirror, we need one big enough to climb through."

"There's one in here. We might have to turn sideways and suck in a bit though."

Kid followed Maka's voice into her room and looked around, surprised. Maka's room was decorated in lavenders and pinks and she had girly looking things that Kid associated with Patty and Liz. For some reason Kid had expected Maka to like a more gothic or dark style but instead her major decorations seemed to be bookcases from floor to ceiling. It also seemed odd to him that the bookcases didn't just contain books. They had dainty knick knacks and scarves on them. Old ballet slippers, photo albums, plush animals and perfumes lined the shelves along with cloth boxes Kid couldn't see into. Kid immediately detected a transition trapped between young womanhood and adult. But it felt balanced, even though the books shelves weren't properly aligned in any fashion. Maybe it was the cloth boxes that made it look that way. Kid reached up and touched one of the boxes and found it had a handle on it and was labeled with its contents.

"You like those do you? I need to get some more of these. They are great for hiding clutter and stuff you can't figure out what to do with. I've got another type for periodicals and for office supplies." Kid looked over at Maka with an odd sense of respect. He had never thought about aligning things in boxes. It would certainly make things easier, being able to shove different size objects together and have them hidden in clean and neat matching boxes.

"Your room is very tidy. I was expecting it to be more like the girls' and have cosmetics and magazines everywhere."

"That's right; you've never been in here have you?"

"No…" Kid answered, feeling slightly self conscious. He realized why, he was in a woman's room, they were all alone, and for some reason he felt he should be thinking of some way to take advantage of the situation.

Something made this place feel inappropriate though. He looked directly across the hall and saw another room. Its door was wide open and let him peer in easily. The room was messily furnished in blues and blacks. A guitar hung on poster covered walls along with skating gear and in the center of the floor was a messy bed. Clothes were strung haphazardly on the floor.

That must be Soul's room Kid thought to himself. At that moment Kid realized he was feeling jealous again. How many nights had the two slept with their doors open and laid in bed and talked. Look how easy it was for Soul to be close to her. Living in the same house, sharing the same meals; he was always just a few steps away. It made no sense that he hadn't made Maka his girlfriend by now. They were always with one another; they had no distance or obstacles to stop them from being intimate either. They lived alone; they didn't have stupid sisters watching their every move, or a father that could peer in on them at any time. There had been absolutely nothing at all to stop Soul at from claiming Maka sooner.

Kid snorted angrily. That meant only one thing. Soul hadn't attempted to be Maka's boyfriend because he either didn't feel the need to, or that he wasn't interested in her until someone else was. Kid found his feet had lead him into Soul's room. That stubborn bastard; he'd had plenty of time to have asked Maka out, to have declared her off limits to anyone else. He had just been dragging his feet, or hadn't really considered Maka attractive 'till Kid did.

Kid shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out the emerald necklace. He dropped the item on Soul's dresser and spoke into the empty room. "It's not my fault you were stupid and blind and didn't realize what you had. To think I was actually feeling bad about stealing her from you. I see now though I needn't have worried, you can't steal something that a person tosses away and doesn't value in the first place."

Maka grabbed Kid's hand and pulled him out of the room, closing the door. "Sorry about that, it's always a mess unless I yell at him. I didn't think about it bothering you."

"Oh it wasn't," Kid said, surprised.

He picked up Maka's sports bag and used his finger to write 33284 on the mirror. Images of the seven hells zoomed around briefly before settling in on Lord Death's manor house.

"Was that another spell?" Maka questioned.

"No that's just Dad's address. 33284 is D-E-A-T-H. If you want just to talk to him you use the other number but if you want to go to him you use the address. It's the same thing with other places too. Just spell out the name or address of the place you want to go and the mirrors will connect. We got to Jamaica the same way."

"That's it?"

"Shinigami only share secrets with other Shinigami. We'd never be able to find Black Star and Soul if they knew about this They would spend all their free time hopping around the world."

"You seem pretty set on my becoming a Shinigami,"

Kid rubbed his hand through his hair nervously, "Becoming a Shinigami – it's still what you want right?"

"Yes of course that's what I want. That's part of the reason Soul was crying when you came in. I told him that I felt more strongly about becoming a Shinigami and helping you than I did about just dating around."

Kid felt suddenly flushed. "Did you tell him about us? I mean about you telling your father and Dad that you've accepted the arranged marriage?"

"No I wanted him to understand all the reason why I thought we couldn't be a couple. I know I shouldn't have but I skipped over all the stuff about the marriage. I really didn't know how much of that was a lie and how much of it was true. I mean you're still planning on taking over the netherworld right…?"

"Father understands my intentions and that I wish to succeed him soon. He actually didn't seem to be against the idea. It might not become as big a production as I originally thought. He's really lonely Maka, and I think he wants out of the netherworld just as much as I want to free him from that sorrow. I need to warn you, Death is not always what he appears like to you and in front of the others. There is a man underneath the cowl and the mask. But it will be easier for you to see what I mean with your own eyes."


	20. Chapter 20

**Author Notes:**

Hey everyone I got to give a big hand of applause to **Wordfiend** she's been editing for me and we are reworking the earlier chapters so they are cleaner and have less errors. Chapters 1 and 2 have been rewritten and she's do re-edits on the current stuff too. She's been a big help and it's good to have someone to bounce ideas off of and to keep you from writing 14 pages of pure fluffy garbage that adds nothing to the story. So as mentioned this is a Lemon Chapter after this go read the lemon if you're old enough to read lemons. Lemons are und the Mature section, you can access it from my authored story page.

Kid: Woohoo!

Black Star: Hey that's my line.

**Forever In the Never After Chapter 20 (v.4) Edited Friday Jan.25, 2011**

**Surrender and Flee to the Never After**

Kid pushed halfway through the mirror and let his body straddle both worlds. His long thin hand reached back for Maka's and she took it without hesitation. They had to turn sideways to squirm through the narrow passage, which emptied them out headfirst into a golden room filled with old furniture. As she sat up Maka noted that the mirror was the same size as the one they had crawled through in her bedroom.

"Why did we end up in a different room than we did the last time I came here?"

"The room you end up in is dependent on the size of the mirror you travel through. There is a match to every mirror in the world in this house. That's why it's got so many rooms." Kid answered, checking his suit for wrinkles and stray carpet fibers.

The room was strongly European in decoration and style. A large, gilt Victorian bed stood in the middle, with a small fainting couch at its foot. The shaded wallpaper was printed with fruit and birds, and the green velvet textiles matched the carpet. Ornate birds decorated the tabletops and the walls were densely hung with mirrors of every size and description. The room was fit for a queen, but felt creepy, as rooms in old houses sometimes do. The furnishings cast strange shadows on the walls, dark pools where anything could hide. Things seemed strangely ethereal in this realm.

Maka looked out the window and noticed the sky had changed colors. Instead of the twilight shades she'd seen last time, the sky was cloaked in heavy violet clouds. Amongst them, Maka could see souls flitting back and forth. Their blue vapor trails lit up the sky like lightning. They whizzed across acres of rolling hillside dotted with black grain and what looked to be a rice paddy.

Maka rested her hand on the windowpane. She wondered how it would feel out there: was it windy, was it cold, was it hot? Something inside her wanted to find out. She tried pushing through the window as she had with the mirror, but the glass felt solid and the wooden frame barred her inside. Suddenly, the furniture began to rattle and sway back and forth. The mirrors nearly sprang from the walls and the knick-knacks clattered. An array of poltergeists shot through the room, which shook as if it were in the middle of one of California's infamous earthquakes . The chandelier rocked violently and looked as if it were preparing to fall. Just as abruptly as the shaking had started, it stopped. The ghosts left the room in a spray of light and headed down the hallway.

Maka's looked at Kid, amazed. "What was that about?"

"It's something like the cross between a security alarm and the house staff going home for the night. One of those poltergeists was probably Reginald, the butler you met before. The geist sensed a intruder come into the house so they came flooding here to see who or what it was. When they saw it was just me and a guest most of them just decided it was okay to clock out for the night and went home. I'm sure Reginald went back to inform father we were here, though."

"Wait Shinigami-sama's butler is a ghost? He seemed so solid! I think I even touched him."

"Same as any other pre-kieshen or hungry ghost. They always feel solid too."

"Wait he's a pre-kieshen?" Maka yelped. Kid flopped down on the chaise and crossed his arms behind his head.

"No he's just a hungry ghost that made the choice not to gobble up human souls. Basically hungry ghosts have the strength to not become kieshens. They stay down here in the seven hells or wander about the earth till it's time for processing. But a few bad eggs always try to disobey the natural order of things. That's why we punish the pre-kieshens so violently. We remove them from the world, and after they are captured they're imprisoned down in the seven hells for a quantity of time. The level of hell that they go to depends on the gravity of their crimes. The top level of hell is just beneath the layer of the Never After, it's where the hungry ghosts go home to. Most of the kitchen staff you saw before, and the working class in the seven hells are hungry ghosts waiting to be processed into the light."

"Light?"

"I can't talk about that just yet. Let's see if we can get you to become a Shinigiami before I begin boring you with the details of the Never After." Kid said with finality.

Maka found herself in front of a painting. It depicted a large, crumbling plantation house with the bodies of dead soldiers, primarily black, littered in front of it. There were large shells carved into the ground and British marines posed with a canon. It made no sense to Maka. Why someone would paint such a scene?

Kid got up and noticed that Maka was standing off-center in front of one of his father's paintings. He gently nudged her over, but Maka didn't seem to notice that he'd moved her over about fifteen inches so that they were centered with the painting frame.

"That's the Anglo-Zanzibar War. It took place at the end of the Victorian era between Great Britain and Zanzibar, and it lasted only forty five minutes." Kid explained.

"A forty-five minute war? Why would they even bother?"

Kid wrapped an arm around Maka. "I'm not human. You tell me why people declare wars. My job is to clean up the messes after they've been made. Just like those soldiers standing there."

"I'm not familiar with this from history class."

"Not surprising, considering it was just a coup d'état to replace a sultan with one that would be a British loyalist." Maka jumped as Lord Death spoke right behind her.

"Shinigami-Sama" Maka gasped, clutching Kid's arm.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you dear. I felt some one come in with Kid and sent Reginald to see who he had brought."

"Who else would I bring?" Kid asked, rolling his eyes.

"Do you like that painting Maka?" Shinigami asked.

"It's definitely unique, but I find its history more interesting than the painting itself."

"Ah, me too." Lord Death agreed, "So have you come to spend the night or are you just dropping by for a visit?"

Maka looked up at Kid, floundering. She didn't know if Kid had asked permission for her to come at all, let alone for the night. It seemed beside the point now but she hadn't thought of asking before.

"Maka is going to spend the night with us tonight Pop. She hasn't been resting too well, and I thought it might be fun for her to have dinner with us tonight."

"Dinner! Yes!" Death proclaimed happily. "Maka dear, do you like Indian food? I've been cooking up a storm for the last couple of hours. More than enough for three."

"I can't say I've ever had Indian food before. I make Tikka Masala, but that isn't an authentic recipe"

"Ooh, then this will be new for you. It's a real treat." Death said cheerfully.

Maka couldn't help but notice there was something really different about the way Lord Death was acting. He seemed really pleased and excited. Death was usually jovial, but his usual formality was missing.

"Would you like to stay in this room tonight since it has an open gateway back to your room, Maka?"

"That doesn't matter to me so much." Maka replied pointing at her overnight bag, "I brought my stuff with me."

Kid gave his father a sly smile, glanced sideways at Maka and wiggled his eyebrows a bit. Lord Death began laughing.

"You're not afraid of being here at all are you Maka?" he asked, chuckling.

"No. Why would I be? Kid-kun is here"

Death's mask seemed to smile. "I'm glad to hear that. Many people wouldn't dare venture into the seven hells while they're alive. They're too afraid of not being able to leave again since only I control this reality. Of course, your Dad is like that too. He never was afraid to come and visit me here."

"I figure if my father felt it was safe enough to bring me here then there's no real danger. Besides you're very nice and you're Kid-kun's father. Why should I be afraid of anything? Well, other than embarrassing myself in front of you, I mean."

Death's high pitched voice dropped to a more masculine tone. "You don't have to worry about embarrassing yourself in front of me Maka. Please do as you like and make yourself at home."

Kid tugged on his father's robe. "You still wearing that golf outfit?"

"No I changed before you came over."

"Not into your pajamas I hope."

"I've got regular clothes on." Death said defensively.

"Kid-kun why are you picking on Lord Death?" Maka swatted Kid on the arm.

Death began laughing whole heartedly, "Yeah Kiddo! Why are you picking on your dear, sweet father?"

"I'm in love with this girl, please behave yourself tonight." Kid begged.

Death watched as Maka flushed, "Oh, I'll behave myself, alright. Maka if you don't mind, I want to get out of this cowl and mask. You two go ahead down to the kitchen. I'll be there shortly to serve dinner."

"Oh, Dad! I brought pictures of the hearse!" Kid called after him.

"Good, good. I got Sid to pick me up some information on real cars. We'll see who's right!" Death chortled back.

"You two don't act like this normally." Maka announced, glancing back and forth between them.

"We only keep the formality up in public. Pop has a position of authority and I want people to give him the respect he deserves."

"Your very proud of your father aren't you Kid-kun?"

"Yes I am. You're doing it again though...you're calling me 'Kid-kun' instead of just 'Kid'."

Maka apologized as Kid led her back to the long kitchen. It was filled with the smell of spices she couldn't name. All of the pots and stoves were in full use, and there was food everywhere.

"I love this place." Maka said happily.

"Is that so?" Death chirped, appearing from the shadows behind Maka. She jumped a foot in the air and nearly told him off for scaring her. Luckily, she remembered herself in time. Kid held Maka with one arm and smacked his hand against his head. "What are you trying to do, scare her out of her skin before the night's over?"

"I couldn't resist," Death chortled, taking a blue checkered apron from a hook. It was emblazoned with "#1 Dad" in red lettering.

Maka looked at Kid's father and did a double take. He looked almost exactly like Kid. His hair was longer and wavier, his eyes were red, and he was a bit older, but other than that the familiar features she had been memorizing lately were the same. Death wrapped the apron around him just so and tied the strings in a neat bow. Maka was beginning to see where Kid had picked up some of his habits from.

"Wow, strong family resemblance..." she said, taking a seat at a big stainless steel table.

"Yep. Kiddo is cursed with my ugly mug." Lord Death agreed rubbing the five o'clock shadow that darkened his face.

"You could have shaved." Kid complained.

"I am not shaving more than once a day. I refuse. So you'll just have to put up with it." Death replied, brandishing a wooden spoon, "My son seems to think I don't have good hygiene Maka. You're probably going to hear him bitching about it all night."

"Hey, I just call it like I see it." Kid smarted off, dancing out of the reach of his father's spoon, "I guess we're eating in here tonight instead of the formal dining room?" he asked.

"You got a problem with that too?" Death snapped.

"No I was just asking. Don't be so crotchety old man."

Maka watched Kid and Death fuss back and forth, and felt at home. Death teased Kid mercilessly but you could see how dear his son was to him. The two of them play-wrestled while Death put the finishing touches on dinner. Finally they settled down and took a stool at the stainless steel table next to Maka.

Death tried to catch his breath and rasped out, "Sorry Maka didn't mean to make you feel left out."

"You two have a really good relationship; it's very comforting to watch. It's like watching a TV family."

Death and Kid both looked at one another and then back to Maka.

"This is how we normally are." Kid said, amused.

"I'm envious. I have problems communicating with Papa."

"Have you told her the good news yet?" Death raised an eyebrow at Kid.

"No! It completely slipped my mind!" Kid shook his head, embarrassed.

"Well then I'll tell her. There is no reason for you to be envious, Maka. I've made up my mind and I will be happy to have you as a part of this family." Death said, looking pleased.

"Really? You mean it?" Maka shrieked, jumping off of her stool.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

Death was nearly knocked off his stool by the force of Maka's hug. He cautiously wrapped his arms around her, as if he was afraid he might break her.

"You're blushing, old man." Kid crowed.

"Not very often I get hugged by a pretty girl. I could get used to it though."

"Guess you're going to have to because I'm not changing my mind", said Maka.

Kid peeled Maka off Lord Death helped her back into her chair "You've got to stop that - he'll slow down time and we'll never get to eat."

"I'm sorry, I was just surprised." Maka commented happily.

Kid rested his hand over Maka's and felt warm all over. He watched his father get up and begin dishing up food. Maka got up and offered to help but Lord Death just scooted her back to her seat.

"I got this Maka. Don't worry, I know how to cook. Just ask Kiddo"

"He really is quite good at it" Kid agreed automatically.

"Yep, my food is good enough to die for!" Death sang arrogantly, "No pun intended!"

"Kid leaned over to Maka and whispered into her ear, "Don't eat the Vindaloo."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

Death set three tall milkshakes on the counter, followed by bowl upon bowl of food. Nearly everything had a red, orange or yellow cast to it and Maka eyed it suspiciously.

"Trying to outdo the buffets, Pop?"

"Maka said she's never had Indian food before; this should give her a good sampling of it so she can find out what she likes."

"Wait! You cooked all this for me?" Maka asked, panicked. What if she didn't like the stuff?

Kid and Death laughed in tandem.

"Dad usually gets carried away in the kitchen. Plus, being a Shinigami means you can eat whatever you want and not have to worry about the consequences." Kid said, patting his stomach.

"Whoa! That must be nice. Now I know how you can knock off in Gym and still look good." Maka giggled. She took a slurp from her milkshake glass. She had expected orange ice cream but this was fruiter and tasted like yogurt. It wasn't very sweet but it was good.

"That's a Mango Lassi. If you eat something that's too hot take a drink of that. It will clean out your pallet." Death told her, handing her a plate.

"I like it, it's really refreshing." Maka replied as she began to scoop rice on her plate. "What do you suggest I try first?"

Kid pointed to a reddish chicken dish and a pile of flat bread." The butter chicken isn't too hot and the Naan are safe if you want something mild. That paprikash over there isn't bad if you're in the mood for something with a little more heat."

Death took Maka's plate from her and began filling it. "Don't worry. I'll give you some things I think you'll like. Try one of these first, it's a samosa."

Maka accepted what looked to be a fried wonton. She bit into and found it was filled with potatoes and peas, and had a light taste of curry. It was wonderful and melted in her mouth. The crisp shell had just enough crunch to give it texture and she all but inhaled the little appetizer.

"Wow...Have you cooked like this for my dad yet? Hell, he'd never go home, this is amazing!" Maka exclaimed, licking her fingers. Death handed Maka back her plate and she gawked at the amount he'd managed to fit onto it; she would never be able to eat it all. She dug in, trying a little of everything. It was all pretty good, and the mango drink allowed her to taste everything separately without having all the different foreign spices blend together.

Kid scooped a reddish shrimp dish onto his plate along with a pile of basmati rice. "By the way Maka this is the Vindaloo - you probably don't want to try this one."

"Why don't I want to eat that one?" Maka questioned trying to rip off a piece of the flat bread with her teeth.

"Let's just say it's my specialty and it's hot!" Death glanced at Kid's plate, "That's an awfully big portion for you Kiddo - I take it you're going to eat like a man tonight. You think you can take the heat?" he asked slyly.

"I know I can."

Kid took a big spoonful of the shrimp and for a second Maka thought he was going to breathe fire. He knocked his fist against his chest and took a long draw from the mango lassi.

"Still think it's not too hot?" Death laughed viciously.

"Actually this is probably the best yet. You really did good on this one Dad."

"You said you wanted it hotter, I tried to accommodate." Death tried some and turned mildly red in the face.

"Holy crap that's hot!" Death complained as he broke into a sweat.

"It's good though. Almost like that stuff we got from India."

Kid continued to fill his plate while eating the spicy vindaloo. Maka noticed that everything Kid had picked out was a little more on the hot side.

"You both like spicy food?"

"Yeah, it's sort of like a game with us. We don't have to worry about heart burn or indigestion, so we can knock back almost anything. I like the warm feeling it gives me and it's kind of fun watching Dad invent new ways of making food practically atomic."

Death looked up from his plate and tried to explain. "You see, pain is something that is hard for us to experience. Most of the pain we can feel must be magically inflicted. And almost all outside substances have no effect on us."

Kid plopped his empty glass on the table and patted his stomach. "That includes hair dye. I've tried dyeing these damn lines out of my hair a hundred times and they just keep coming back."

"I keep telling you, they're cute", Death ruffled his son's hair, "Since we're the embodiment of death, we're immune to many things that can kill people. We can't get sunburnt or frostbitten, medicine has little to no effect and we're immune to poisons, bullets, stakes through the heart, acid…almost everything."

"Everything but boredom and mental illness." Kid added darkly.

"Kiddo is right about that. Most of the pain we feel is self inflicted. Because it's nearly impossible for a Shinigami to die, we have a tendency to see the world differently. We live longer than humans but we suffer more because we have to watch humanity repeat the same mistakes over and over again. In time it becomes very depressing and monotonous."

Kid rubbed Maka's shoulder and let his hand fall to her waist "That's why nights like this are precious to us."

Maka smiled. "Precious? How so?"

"This is the first time you've tasted my cooking, and the first time you've had Indian food and you came over of your own accord. To me that's very precious." Death said gently.

"I'm still not following you."

Kid looked into Maka's eyes before speaking. "Seeing new people and experiencing new things breaks the monotony of our long lives. It allows us to feel more alive in some aspect; to be more human than we really are. That's what we mean by precious."

Maka couldn't break Kid's gaze. She listened to his words and her heart swelled. She wanted to kiss him all of a sudden, to hold him and comfort him and explain that she understood how he felt. But Lord Death was watching and she felt extremely embarrassed by how moved she was. Maka felt a tear flow down her cheek. Then there were more and she found herself crying. She placed her warm hand in Kid's cold one and hugged him tightly unable to hold back anymore.

"Why don't you two ever tell anyone that's how you feel? If you want to be with people you need to make an effort to let them know."

Maka pulled Lord Death into her crushing hug. Kid slid off his chair and dangled near Maka on his knees. Lord Death seemed perfectly content to stay in the awkward position forever, but Kid made a conscious effort to wriggle away and keep his face from being squished against Maka's cleavage.

"Ma..Ma.. Maka don't grab so tight - you're smothering me!" Kid stuttered.

Lord Death gave his son a devious look. "Having your face shoved into your girlfriend's bosom is a problem for you? Things sure have changed since I was a teenager."

Kid's jaw chattered up and down silently. He was mortified, but Maka didn't seem to care. She flung both arms around Kid, latched onto his suspenders and softly murmured the three little words he was dying to hear.

"I love you. I wish I could just chase away all the pain and insecurities you have. If you want my company you need to be blunt and let me know, don't just hint at it. I'm not good at telling when people are lonely."

"Wow, look at the time!" Death exclaimed cheerfully, "Guess I'd better start on the dishes or it may take all night."

Maka looked over at Death. His eyes looked slightly teary as well and Maka wondered if he, too, had been moved by what Kid said.

"I can help you with the dishes. You cooked. You shouldn't have to clean up too." She clucked at him.

"Don't worry about it Maka, he can just wave a hand and it'll all be done."

"Kid's right. It's not that big of a deal, I was just trying to excuse myself. So the two of you could be alone."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Kid grabbed Maka and wrapped his arms under her legs and around her back. He pulled her into his chest as if she weighed nothing and began making his way out of the kitchen.

"Don't bother setting an alarm clock!" Death called after them.

Kid looked over his shoulder and saw his father make a shooing hand motion. Kid smiled back knowingly. That was his dad's way of saying 'you're not leaving here till I'm ready, for you to leave' and for once Kid didn't care. That meant he could have all the time in the world with Maka, and with his father as well. For once the Never After had its benefits and Kid was glad he was a Shinigami.

"Kid-kun why are you carrying me?" Maka asked feeling embarrassed.

"Because I just like to." Kid answered and abruptly hauled her up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He smacked her gently on the butt and began heading back to the green room they had come in through earlier.

"You don't have to carry me! Really, I can walk."

Something in her tone struck a chord with Kid and he remembered that he'd had the same conversation with his father just the other night. He shook his head, embarrassed, and opened the door to the room. "I must be turning into my old man! Just indulge me, okay? It's a Shinigami thing - for some reason we enjoy hauling people around like luggage."

Maka laughed. "That's the weirdest thing I have ever heard."

"Believe it. My dad was doing this to me just yesterday."

Kid dropped Maka down onto the bed and flicked on the TV for background noise. Her cheeks turned pink and she wiggled in the bed nervously.

"You have cable here?"

"We have everything here. Of course it doesn't work worth a damn when Pop stops time. You can be watching something and poof!, paused for days. That trick worked really great when I was younger and didn't want to study. Brings a whole new meaning to grounded for life, though." Kid chuckled.

Maka fidgeted with her skirt for a second while Kid clicked through channels. She caught sight of a familiar looking ranger riding on a horse and snapped the remote from Kid's hands. "Look! The _The Return of the King_ is on. I love the_Lord of the Rings_ movies." she exclaimed, settling against the pillows. Kid watched her nervousness fade as she started to concentrate on the film instead of her surroundings.

Kid did a lousy Golem impression, screeching "precious, my precious." He jumped on top of Maka, buried his face in her neck and cuddled up, ignoring the movie.

"The books were better," Kid complained into Maka's hair. "Only thing they do in the movie is walk. Best part of the whole thing was Golem."

"Big Golem fan, then."

Kid murmured into Maka's ear, rubbing his face into her neck. "Yes. I can understand being enamored with something so badly that you would chase it to the ends of the earth."

Kid's hand wandered down to the bottom of Maka's shirt and slid under it. He felt something silky beneath his hand as he glided it over her stomach.

"What are you wearing under there?" Kid asked. He managed to divest Maka of her tie, sweater and shirt in record time and stared down at the satin slip tucked into her skirt.

"You're wearing negligee?" he gawked, staring.

"It's a slip. I usually wear one when I wear a skirt. It keeps my underwear from showing when I'm fighting."

Kid began tracing the white floral lace around the neckline of the slip. It had cherry red straps and was printed with black and white vertical stripes. His eyes followed them down to her waist he immediately began looking for a way to get her out of her skirt.

"It's too much isn't it? It's not mine, well, technically it is mine but the cat bought it for me and I've never worn it till today. My normal white one was dirty and..."

Kid whipped the skirt off and admired the stripes on the gown. The bottom of the slip was trimmed with cherry red piping and the same white floral lace that clung around Maka's breasts. Kid shuddered with lust, amazed.

"You've been wearing a negligee under your uniform all day?" He moaned.

"It not negligee, it's just a fancy slip." Maka complained. Kid noticed that her face was turning red and decided to tease her to cover up his own embarrassment.

"There must be a hundred underwear catalogs at my house and I've seen the stuff Liz and Patty bring home. That is a negligee. And what kind of excuse is 'the cat bought it for me'?"

"But Bu-tan, I mean Blair, did buy it for me! She brings me home stuff like this all the time. It's either this or dead mice."

Something inside Kid's brain screamed _she has more things like this! I want to see, I want to see them all!_ He tried to put on a dignified smile and ran his hands over his clothes, making sure they were free from lint. It was too late to become self conscious. He tried to ignore the fact that he was straddling Maka and that he had stripped her down to the slip and her undergarments in less than a minute. His eyes fell back down to the bed, where Maka squirmed between his legs. Kid realized his staring made her uncomfortable, but for the life of him he couldn't pry his eyes away from the slip. Its black and white stripes traveled down her body and ended just a little below her ass. The white lace taunted him; it was just transparent enough for Kid to make out the black panties she wore underneath. He found his body following the stripes down. His face ended up at the edge where the silk met the lace and he breathed her scent in.

_She's wearing parallel black and white stripes, and those little red shoulder straps are so….symmetrically erotic!_Kid felt himself grow hard and he rested his head in her lap, fighting for some self control. Just the thought that Maka had been wearing such a thing all day made him excited.

"Is this what you're going to wear to bed?" His voice sounded a little too breathy and hopeful,"

"No, I brought pajamas." Maka moved to get out of bed but Kid's hands snaked around her waist and pulled her back to him. Her state of undress had sent him into a frenzy. He choked down the resonance that swelled when their bodies touched and tried to make her understand.

"Maybe I should rephrase that. I would very much like you to wear that to bed. "

Maka looked down at herself nervously and replied, "I guess I could wear this, if that's what you want. It's kind of weird to sleep in a slip, though."

"I don't know. I think a lot of women wear things like this to bed."

**-Lemon begins here it's posted on the Forever in the Never After Lemon Section-**

_**And yes it is a real lemon this time!**_


	21. Chapter 21

**Definitions**

**Outousan** and Chichi : Father

**Tanuki**: Racoon Dog Spirit that plays pranks. Want to see what a Tanuki looks like google "Chinese raccoon dog. "

**Ghost names**: Look them up if you're interested...they are real folks!

**Updates:**

Hey rewrites are continuing; Chapter 1-3 are now cleanup and changed slightly. Wordfiend has done a nice job on them. We're going to continue on doing this till were caught up. If it's been a while since you read them you may want to re-read them.

**Author Alert: I Need your Input!**

I dearly hope I didn't alienate you folks last chapter. If I did let me know. I know that sex scene was pretty mature and I only got a total of two reviews which scared the shit out of me. Did everyone quit reading? Did I do something bad? Hey just let me know. I have a option at the end of this chapter to do Tsubaki/Soul love scene and I want to know if you want it or should we just push past it. Because I am indecisive about this please write in and give me your thoughts. Things are going to be getting hectic soon and there might not be time to start develop it later. Sincerely Neko

Side Note: If you are having problems accessing part of the story I post it up uncut on my website souleater . popmanga . com the site is linked on my profile.

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**Forever in the Never After Chapter 21 Last Revised: Tuesday Feburary 21 2011 2:00 ****Version (5)**

**Time stops and the world was silent.**

Kid awoke to find his body entangled with Maka's. Her tussled blond hair spilled around his head and his face lay against her bare breasts. He inhaled her scent and languidly stretched himself along her soft body. He reviewed the amazing events of the previous evening and decided that it had been much better than all the books and movies had prepared him for. He rubbed Maka's breast with his cheek and tried to untangle his feet from the sheets without waking her. He felt slightly sore and soiled and sought the comforts of a warm shower.

He looked over Maka's beautiful body again and changed his mind. Maybe he should take a cold one instead. It was raining in the netherworld, something that didn't happen often. Kid stretched and went to the nearest window. The rain splattered against the glass and willow wisps darted for shelter near the gables of the house. Kid watched an old lazy tanuki waddle up to the back door and death's butler tossed out some scraps to it. _It appears the staff is back_ Kid mused. He realized he was standing in front of the window naked and immediately felt embarrassed. On examining the room again he noticed someone had been there, a few of Kid's things and his spartoi uniform laid trucked on a dresser just slightly inside the door, his overnight bag was there too. With a big colored drawing of a Giraffe on it attached with stickers. Kid thumbed the paper and noticed Patty's familiar writing on it. The note read "Forgot your clothes dumbass! Lucky I'm a good sister and sent them with the spook. I even packed your toiletry bag. You owe me!"

"Hey you! Who said you could get up and strut around naked? Get your rear back over here and come back to bed." Maka complained sleepily.

Kid looked over at his future bride and smiled. He leapt back in bed and buried his face in the covers. "Who can argue with a demand like that?"

Maka put her arms around Kid's neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm not complaining! The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was that cute butt of yours." She smacked Kid's rear playfully accenting the word 'butt' with a loud smack.

"Surprised you didn't go blind." Kid scoffed.

"God, you feel like ice! How long have you been up walking around naked?" Maka flung the heavy velvet comforter and the blankets back over Kid and snuggled him against her.

Kid pulled the covers up over their heads and left a soft kiss on her lips. "I haven't been up long. But long enough to see Reginald has taken in a stray."

"What kind of stray animal would be here in the netherworld?" Maka asked in between kisses.

"An old tanuki. I saw him tossing it scraps this morning."

"A tanuki?" Maka perked up. She nearly hit Kid in the face as she scrambled to get out of bed.

"Is it still out there can I see it?" She asked intent on going to the window.

Kid grabbed on to her before she slid out of the bed, pulling her back under the covers.

"We'll go find it later. I don't want a mischievous spirit running around the house, because Reginald has a soft spot for animals."

Maka smacked Kid in the chest playfully.

"Aww…I think it's cute. To think that old geezer is taking care of a tanuki! He must be a really nice Hungry Ghost. How does a person like that become a hungry ghost anyway?"

"Usually it has to do with the way the possessions of the dead are disposed of. In Reginald's case he had been traveling the Tibet wilds looking for plants. He had no real family aside from the scientific community, he preferred flowers to people, and he died tragically with the samples he was trying to obtain."

"In Buddhism we give offerings to the ghosts, so they don't become hungry. We also try to make sure we don't keep a lot of the individual's belongings around and we're encouraged not to keep ashes and urns either."

"A few other religions do that too, actually. Many South American cultures offer whole alters covered with food to prevent hungry ghosts from forming. I can't honestly say there is a correlation to hungry ghosts and offerings, though. To be honest I don't usually stick around for funerals and death rites after I reap souls."

"Too bad. It would be nice to know what actually works or, better yet, to have a complete idea of which religion is right."

"There is no perfect religion. You can shoo that thought out of your head right now. Being a Shinigami means you respect all beliefs not just what you were brought up with. As far as we're concerned we are members of every belief system and try to see how those beliefs pertain to each individual that we reap."

Maka looked at Kid and nodded her understanding. "I guess I've got a lot to learn."

Kid smoothed his hand over Maka's hair.

"You're going to have forever to learn it; so don't worry about it. We'll do everything at our own pace, you and me. I'm not going to thrust you into reaping fast. We'll go slow and let you learn a little at a time. So what do you think, Pumpkin? You ready to start learning about the Shinigami world? I'm sure Dad wants to show you a few things today..."

"Pumpkin?" Maka interrupted.

"What, you don't like Pumpkin? What about Cupcake?"

"Cupcake!" Maka groaned.

"Yep, that'll be my new name for you. You smell like cupcakes…..and you taste like one too." Kid said in a suggestive voice.

"So I guess you're going into the annoying pet name phase then."

"Don't tell me you don't like Cupcake! It matches you so well. I guess I could call you Cookie instead."

Kid faked an impassioned moan and yelled "Oh Cookie! Please be gentle with me!"

"Oh hell no, you are not calling me Cookie! What 's with all the food names?"

Kid wrestled Maka onto her back and pinned her there. "Ok, maybe you need a Japanese pet name…. how about Odango."

"I'm not _Sailor Moon_. Don't even think about it."

"Bunny then? Oooh, even better: Koneko."

"You start yelling that and Blair will come meowing for you." Maka laughed, "I got it - you can call me Cupcake if I can pick out a name for you. How about Deathykins? Or Kiddo-poo?"

Kid burst out laughing, "You're horrible at this. My pet names rocked, you're just trying to emasculate me."

Maka bucked her body wildly trying to free herself and managed to flip Kid on his back. "Oh since you like Koneko so much why don't we call you Hellcat."

Kid wiggled underneath her seductively and pinched her nipples. Maka shrieked and covered them up with her hands. "Fine I get to call you Cupcake and you can call me Hellcat."

"Jeeze- I didn't expect you to agree to that one." Maka complained as Kid smacked her with a pillow.

"Hellcat is kind of cool, much better than Deathykins."

Maka slapped Kid with the pillow he threw at her, "While we're on the subject of annoying terms of endearment have you thought about when we're going to get married?"

"I figured we could get married after we graduate the academy. It's not that far off. Maybe we can bring you over as a Shinigami on the evening of the ceremony. Dad told me some of his ideas and how someone steps out of mortal life and into the role of Shinigami. It was kind of….. ummm…. weird but I'm sure we can work it into the ceremony. It would be cool to have all of our friends there to see you become the next Shinigami, as well as my wife." The words elated Kid and he kissed Maka tenderly.

"So what do I have to do?" Maka asked him, concerned, "Is the ceremony going to be gross, or hard, or violent? I don't want it to overshadow our wedding vows. I don't care about the big white wedding stuff so much, I don't mind if we just run off and elope somewhere."

"We are not eloping!" Kid exclaimed, shocked. "I want your dad and all our friends there too."

"Ooh! I've got an idea!" Maka exclaimed. "Since we're not members of any one church, let's go to Las Vegas and get married by Elvis! We can have all the bridesmaids dress up as show girls with glittery outfits and feathered head dresses. The guys can dress up like card dealers. No, better yet, magicians!"

Kid stared at her, amazed. He'd thought Maka would have preferred the big white princess gown and all the delicate sophistication of a traditional Japanese wedding, but here she was talking about eloping and getting married by Elvis in Las Vegas. Something told him her Dad would choose a wedding like that too. Hell, his dad would adore the idea; he'd be right in the middle of things picking out what color the headdresses should be.

Kid shook his head feeling slightly defeated. Weddings were for the brides to decide, not for the grooms. "Do we have to get married by fat Elvis? Or can we have a thin one? I like Young Elvis better than Sell-Out Elvis."

"I guess we could have a Young Elvis. Will it be hard to mingle in the Shinigami rites? Will I need to plan anything special?"

"Absolutely nothing, you leave that part up to me and Dad. Maybe we could have the wedding here though. So Dad can be there. We can bring in a priest from the church of Elvis. With what you're describing, Dad's robes won't stick out at all."

Maka smacked her forehead with her palm. "Ugh! How stupid of me! I forgot Lord Death can't leave. Of course we'll have it here! Ever since I saw him last night I keep thinking of him as a normal guy. I keep forgetting he has limitations to how far he can go. "

Kid was slightly taken back at that. _Lord Death a normal guy_. His father would have loved to hear that, too bad Maka hadn't said it in front of him.

"Do you think it's too soon to tell our friends that we're engaged? I feel like it's sinking in now and I'm bubbling over to tell someone."

"Why don't you let me find you a ring and give me a chance to smooth things over with Spirit then we can tell everyone about your scary Elvis wedding."

Maka blushed deep crimson, "I really would like to tell Tsubaki and I really don't care what Papa thinks. He'll probably just freak out again and act stupid."

Kid cringed. Hearing Tsubaki's name, it brought back the memory of the corpse he had seen just yesterday and had managed to block out of his mind.

"What's wrong?" Maka questioned, alarmed. The excitement vanished from her face and she began searching his face for the answer.

Kid paused for a moment and sat up in bed, "I was just thinking about Tsubaki's father."

"What happened yesterday? You never did tell me." Maka reached over and brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes.

"I was called down to the morgue to look at Tsubaki's father." Kid said reluctantly.

Maka's hands were cold this morning; they felt good combing through his hair. He nuzzled against her hand so he could feel that cold on his cheeks.

"How...How bad was it?" Maka asked apprehensively.

"It was bad, real bad. They wanted me to reap his soul but it was shredded; there were big parts of it missing," Kid answered, feeling nauseated. He left out the fact that there were big parts of Tsubaki's father missing as well. The face and chest of the corpse had been torn, and the body had obviously struggled before dying. Seeing a corpse in that condition wasn't a problem for Kid; he'd seen so many of them. So many bodies cleanly killed or horribly mutilated. Kid was fairly hardened to the sight of death, but this was the first time he'd been summoned to reap a soul that belonged to someone he knew. This wasn't just another body, it was a friend's father, and he was unreasonably angry that he'd been the one called to remove the tattered soul from its husk.

He scooted closer to Maka and laid his forehead against hers. For once he was in no mood to fool around; he just wanted to touch her, to be near her. To try and forget what he had done to the soul of Tsubaki's father.

"What happens to a soul that's cut up like that?" Maka asked quietly.

"It has to be sent to the netherworld so it can repair itself." Kid whispered.

"But if it's sent to the netherworld how can it reach clear light?" Maka's eyes widened in panic and she pulled back, searching Kid's face.

"You're Buddhist?"

"Yes," Maka nodded, "Shinto and Buddhist."

Kid looked at her reluctantly; he wasn't supposed to be telling any of this to her. Liz and Patty had a limited understanding of the Shinigami world but they weren't privy to the secrets surrounding life after death. Not even the Death Scythes knew of such things, it was a secret between Shinigami. He thought of not telling Maka, but keeping it from her seemed like the greater sin, and today that secret was eating him alive.

"That soul will not reach clear light in this lifetime." Death the Kid whispered to Maka.

"But Tsubaki and the funeral rites! No!" Maka stammered. Her eyes became wet and fierce. Tears spilled and ran down her face.

"You cannot tell Tsubaki. Please don't repeat this to _any_ of our friends. You're not supposed to know about this." Kid begged miserably. Maka kissed his anguished face and crushed him against her in a fierce hug.

"You were called out of school to send Tsubaki's father to the netherworld." Maka whispered into his hair.

"Whatever you do you must not tell Tsubaki." Kid repeated, "It is her right to practice any death rites that pertain to her religion. It is not our place to interrupt those practices." Kid spoke as if reading from a rule book, "Who knows? Maybe it will work!" He added bitterly. His body was shaking and all Maka could do was hold him.

"Do Patty and Liz know about this?" Maka asked softly.

"I just said that humans can't know about what happens to the souls of the dead." Kid snapped.

"Don't be mad," Maka soothed, "Kid-kun I'm sorry you've had to carry this burden so long by yourself. I can't imagine how you must feel." unconsciously she began to pat his back gently, "To experience death like that... all the time, all your life...how can you stand it? " her voice cracked with raw emotion as Kid shuddered and clutched her. His neediness embarrassed him but he ignored it and pushed his face into her shoulder.

"It feels so good to finally have someone who understands."

"And what will you have to do when you give Lord Death his holiday?" Maka cried. Her mascara was running and she rubbed at her eyes, leaving inky black stains on her hands.

"When you come down here to take over will you be trapped here forever or will it just be a short time? You're not going to be stuck down here permanently are you? Certainly that can't be the case. "

"I will be doing this kind of thing everyday then. At least now I don't have to worry about bearing the burden all by myself. Dad will probably continue to help me in ways that he can." His last shred of dignity stopped him from crying. He couldn't weep like a child knowing it caused Maka to suffer more. He watched her struggling with her beliefs and he was already regretting the decision to tell her these things now. Kid reminded himself that Maka still wasn't a Shinigami yet. He had no right to dump this kind of stuff on her while she was still mortal. He should have waited till after she'd been turned, but that seemed too much like tricking her into giving him what he wanted.

Kid punched at the mattress and let out a low groan, and then he began collecting himself. It was like someone had hit a button and turned off his emotions. He needed to be strong. Tsubaki would need it, and Maka too, obviously. He could be cold and indifferent toward reaping, after all that was the way his father had done it for centuries.

He thought about nothing except the young girl on the bed that was trying to comfort him and his voice fell into a soothing rhythm. "It's okay, Pumpkin. I'll never make you reap the soul of anyone you know." Kid reassured.

Maka felt uneasy all the sudden. Kid would try to shelter her from the hard decisions even if she was a Shinigami. He would still be bearing most of the burden alone and that didn't sit well with her.

"No. I want us to share all responsibilities even the painful ones. If you take over the netherworld than I plan on being your hands on earth for the time you're trapped down here. I don't want you to coddle me or make things more difficult for yourself just so you can protect me from the world's evils. I'll take the good with the bad and I will stay at your side. I just worry that you might be taking on responsibilities you don't have to. Patty and Liz feel very strongly; they're against this decision of yours. They told me they didn't believe you were strong enough to maintain everything on your own. They hinted that you might go crazy down here. Have you considered setting back the time frame you've planned before taking over for your dad?"

"I can't do that." Kid proclaimed defiantly "For one thing, If keep living as a mortal like I have been, I might become too greedy and change my mind. Maka, taking over the nether world is not something I really want to do. I struggle with the idea almost constantly. But freeing my father from his depression seems more important to me than my own needs. I just want us to be happy again, to see him smile more. To be a normal family. I want him to move on!"

Kid gave an exasperated sigh. "It's okay, really. I don't think Dad's going to run away and leave me in the netherworld for eternity. I think it might just take him a few years to re-acclimate himself in society. To start acting human again. Of course Dad is unpredictable and I could be stuck down here forever should he not choose to return."

Maka cringed. "That's not an option!"

Kid laughed half heartedly. "I hope so. I know this sounds horrible Maka, but I'm glad things are working out the way they are. I really didn't want to be stuck down here alone."

Maka made an annoyed noise, "How many times do I have to tell you? You don't need to obsess and worry about that anymore. I love you! I'm stuck to you like glue from now on. You can't get rid of me. I'm staying and if you try to run away from me I will club you over the head with a copy of 'War and Peace' and I will drag your ass back."

"Thank you." Kid whispered "Sometimes I just need to hear that. I can't help but worry though. I don't trust my old man in the state he's in. He's not thinking clearly and that makes him unpredictable. There is no balance to the way he's acting right now. He's either manically happy or manically depressed, and his mood is like a rollercoaster. That's no way for a Shinigami to act. We're forces of nature; we have to keep our emotions balanced. "

"So we need to help Shinigami-sama. I'm sure we can cheer him up - just look how happy he was about being able to cook dinner for us." Maka said.

"I've been putting it off but the real fact of the matter is I need to move home. I just haven't found a way of breaking it to the girls. I know Liz is going to hate me, but it's my dad and family comes first. Have you ever thought about how long dad has lived in the netherworld? How long he's suffered here alone with nothing but memories of freedom and my mother?" Kid argued, "How can I leave my father to such a fate forever? Dad wallows alone here, missing my mother, missing me, missing the life he once had. It's why he and Spirit get along so well. He needs to get out, to be able to leave Death City and have some freedom, to not have to suffer so much. His soul has been stretched thin over Death City for too long and it needs time to heal, the same as Tsubaki's father's soul."

"Then you should come back here. I'm sure Liz and Patty will understand" Maka said. She was sure that she and Patty could bring Liz around.

"Speaking of moving home have you thought about your dilemma with Soul yet? What are you going to do? I can't say I really want you going back to your apartment if he's going to be continually putting the make on you."

"Soul's not like that. He'll bounce back - he always does. As you said, he just needs some time to adjust to the idea. I think it sunk in a bit last night. I think he's afraid of losing what the two of us have more than anything. I just have to show him that what you and I have doesn't change what he and I are to each other."

"I think I need to lay some ground rules with him or the two of us are going to end up trying to clobber one another. I like Soul, I really do. It's just hard for me to remember that when he's all over you or being rude to you. I'll sit him down tonight and have a long chat with him."

Maka felt strangely observant. It was like some great clarity had come to her recently and she was able to see all the things she didn't like about herself. "I don't know if you should do that. Soul runs from his problems. It's one big thing the two of us have in common. We both try to do anything else but deal with stuff. On top of that there's still the Wes issue. Soul thinks he may be dead and that we're not going able to turn his brother back from being a zombie. It hasn't completely sunk in yet, but he's already showing signs of denial."

"I'll wait then. I don't believe in hitting a man while he's down. It's probably hard for him; losing a sibling and the person he's closest to all the same time. I'll wait till he tries something again or he approaches me."

"Thank you, I really appreciate that."

Kid cracked his knuckles and stretched his back "Now about your living situation..."

Maka started to giggle hysterically, "Which living situation? The fact I'm living with Soul or the fact I'm dying and won't be living much longer?"

"How the hell can you laugh about that? You sound like Patty!" Kid smacked his face to wipe the astonishment off it. "Fine. About both living situations, then."

Maka tried to get herself under control and failed miserably, "What do you think I should do?"

"I want you to stay down here in the Never After for as much as you possibly can. You can come and go as you like but if you stay down here it would solve three big problems." Kid held up his hands and began to count them off.

"One: The Grand Design can't seek you out down here so we won't have to worry about protecting you during the night or when I can't be around you because of a reap or other Shinigami business. Two: it will stop Soul from pawing all over you and give him some time to get his shit together. I don't think it's good for you two to be right on top of each other while he's trying to get over you; it's just too cruel. Three: You could do me a big favor and help keep the old man company. He's already agreed to you staying down here and I think when he saw you come in with me he thought I already had this conversation with you and you agreed to it." Kid's voice became less confident and he nearly whispered the next part "Four: I'd really like you to live with me."

"That was one too many reasons. Kiddo, why did you get all shy on number four?" Maka ribbed Kid and she watched the nervous blush fade away and replaced by one of arrogance.

"You know damn well why. I want you to move in with me. It doesn't have to be here in dad's house, we could build our own place. I mean it's the next logical step, we're engaged and you might not be able to put up with me after you've lived with me for a while."

"What about Patty and Liz - what about Soul?" Maka questioned.

Kid watched Maka's face as she gave the idea some serious thought.

"Well give them a mirror in the foyer so they can come ago as they please. I doubt we'll see Liz step a foot into the Never After though. Something tells me Tsubaki might have some reservations too."

"I think it would be a good idea if we asked Shinigami-sama what to do."

Maka nudged Kid a little before pulling him out of bed, trying to distract him from his darkened mood. "Come on get dressed, we can't lay around here all day. On top of that I'm hungry; we need to go get something to eat."

"I need a shower first." Kid replied. "I was getting ready to do that before you dragged me back to bed."

"Like you minded being dragged back to bed. What time is it anyway?"

Maka looked over at the large grandfather clock in the corner and noticed that the pendulum had stopped mid-swing. That couldn't be right, could it? How could it stay suspended like that_? Isn't gravity a constant here?_ She examined the clock, which told her it was three in the morning. She tapped on the glass to see if the clock was broken while Kid flipped on the TV again. The screen was frozen in place. Maka noticed _Return of the King_ was still on. Frodo had just thrown the ring into the pit and Golem hung in mid air trying to catch it.

"What's going on?" Maka asked.

"What I told you could happen; Dad's stopped time. We're unaffected because we're here. Clocks and electronics aren't immune, though"

Maka slid on a nightshirt and a pair of violet panties and Kid reluctantly slid on a bathrobe and followed Maka as she led the way into the bathroom. She stopped dead in her tracks in front of the door and Kid plowed into her.

"Does that mean Lord Death isn't going to let us leave the netherworld?" Maka asked, sounding frightened.

"Not for a while at least. Good thing is we won't be late for school." Kid explained popping a crooked grin on his face. He darted past Maka quickly and closed the door in her face because he was suddenly shy about sharing his morning bathroom routines.

Maka let out a surprised yelp from the other side of the door and Kid figured he had only minutes before she burst in and knocked him senseless.

Like the bedroom, the bathroom was antique Victorian. The toilet was retrofitted with plumbing but Kid couldn't help but think that the painted motif on the thing was horribly ugly.

"Who wants flower and birds on a toilet? Where does Dad get some of this crap?" he wondered aloud, feeling like the little birds were staring at him.

Kid looked over the room for a shower and found none. Only a deep retro-fitted clawed tub and a wash basin sat in the room. Kid sighed and turned on the hot water. He grabbed the pitcher and the basin and set it next to the tub. He heard movement from outside the door and a soft rap followed it.

"You can come in now Maka."

Maka peeked around the door with a twisted look on her face. "That was rude! You nearly hit me in the face." Her tone immediately changed when she saw Kid sitting in the tub, naked again.

"I have to use the bathroom." Maka said shyly, suddenly understanding Kid's awkwardness.

"The water closet is behind that door." Kid said pointing to the room that held the floral toilet. Maka padded across the floor lightly and shut herself in the little room.

"What the hell is wrong with this toilet – where's the handle?" Maka called.

Kid couldn't help chuckling, "The handle is the string hanging from the tank on the wall."

Kid heard a few little curse words and the toilet flushed. He snickered again as Maka walked out of the water closet.

"What's wrong, those little birdies on the toilet piss you off?"

"That is the most ridiculous looking toilet I've ever seen! It's bad enough they're on the outside, but peeing on the petunias and bluebirds in the bowl is really freaky. What's wrong with plain old white? "

"I agree," Kid snorted. "No shower in here either. It's okay to have antiques but they don't belong in a bathroom."

Maka leaned over the tub and trailed her hand in the water. She gave Kid a shy, goofy grin. "Do you want me to wash your back for you?"

Kid blushed a bit and leaned forward. "I got a better idea!" He pinched Maka's butt and when she leapt up he dragged her into the tub with him, clothes and all. Maka wasn't quite as tall as he was and the hot water rose to the top of her shoulders and half way up her neck.

"You...you could have waited for me to take my clothes off first!" Maka pouted smacking at the water.

Kid began undoing the buttons on her wet nightshirt and Maka leaned against his chest.

"I can't tell you how happy you've made me," he said, "I didn't mean to snap at you and go all dark on you earlier. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be this happy. That I would have a chance with you."

Maka slid her hands down Kid's thighs and raised herself out of the water. She removed the shirt and her wet panties and hung them over the raised faucet. She slid around so she was facing Kid and kissed his lips.

Kid returned the kiss and ran his wet hands through Maka's light hair. "How are you feeling? Are you hurting?"

"No not really." Maka shrugged.

She reached up and captured Kid's lips again, and he adjusted himself in the tub so that he could wrap his arms around her waist. Maka relaxed against his body and turned sideways so she could look at Kid and still stay beneath the warm water.

"What about you? Do guys get sore?"

"Only my stomach muscles but I think that's because I played a little too rough with you last night. I'm really sorry things got out of hand that way."

"Quit apologizing so much. I should be the one apologizing; you're the one that's black and blue." Maka whispered.

Kid looked down his arms and noticed he was indeed bruised. Maka ran her hands down a deep set of red scratches and bit her lip and Kid shuddered beneath her touch.

"Don't worry, they'll be gone by tonight."

Kid turned Maka's neck to inspect it and noticed she had a nice strawberry-sized hickey on her neck. He rubbed his thumb over his handiwork and blushed.

"Unfortunately yours won't heal as fast as mine. Your father might actually murder me this time."

Maka laughed at that. "As if I'd let him lay a hand on you. I seem to remember somebody saying that they wanted to be my bride. That means you belong to me buddy-boy, and I don't share and play nice when someone messes with my things."

Kid blushed deep scarlet; this new possessive Maka was way too sexy. He'd have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she didn't attract any unwanted advances at school. It dawned on him that she had heard him on the docks in Jamaica when he'd thought she was asleep. Maka looked at him with a cat-like expression. She snuggled into his body leaving another kiss against his neck and then picked up the pitcher from the water basin. She filled it up under the tub's faucet and turned back toward Kid.

"Lean down I'm going to wash your hair."

Kid blushed again and did as he was told. Maka kneeled up in the tub and he caught a glimpse of her breasts. His breath hitched in his throat as he looked at them. She was too perfect, almost like a Venus de' Milo. Kid had always been attracted to balanced things and Maka was just that, her perfect bosom was evenly set against her lean waist. He watched the curve of her hips rise from the water and he felt the pitcher's water splash down on his head. Maka ran her lithe little fingers through his hair, massaging in some sort of shampoo that smelled like pomegranates and nectarines. It was too fruity-smelling for a guy but he didn't protest.

"God I love your hair, I wish mine was this thick and pretty."

Kid looked up, amazed. The bane of his existence was being complimented. He wondered If Maka was being sincere and tested it out through the resonance the two of them shared. _I'll be damned, she means it._

"Don't you think the stupid striped are a little weird? Patty called me 'zebra-bro' for a month after she met me."

"I think they're cool. Do you realize people would pay for a look like this in the big city? Besides your father has striped hair too, I don't see why you would think it's weird."

"Yes, but dad's halos his whole head! Mine are just asymmetrical garbage. It looks like someone tried to do some freaky punk thing, realized it looked like shit and quit halfway through."

Maka dumped a pitcher of cold water over his head to wash out the soap and began giggling.

"Jeeze that's cold!" Kid complained and covered his chest with his arms.

Maka pulled him back by his hair roughly so he would look her in the eyes. "I think it's pretty, better than dish water blond that either knots, frizzes, or hangs there limply. Your hair is thick and beautiful you never even have a strand out of place and frankly I think it's just plain cool."

"God I love it when you play rough."

"Yeah, I've noticed, "Maka answered with an embarrassed laugh."You've been reading too many Anita Blake books."

"I could deal with my own personal Anita Blake."

"In your dreams! You're not getting laid _that_ damn much!"

"I'm probably the only guy at Shibusen that got laid by his fiancée before coming to school." Kid announced giddily.

Maka splashed him. "You'd better not go bragging and tell anyone. If that idiot Ox hears he'll tell Kim and then all the girls will start thinking I'm a slut!"

"What do you take me for? I'm not going to tell a soul. Besides I'm more worried about what will happen if your Dad finds out. He can be kind of scary even to someone like me."

"You give my Papa too much credit; he's just as dumb at figuring things out about people as I am."

"You are anything but dumb Maka. You're the most intelligent woman I know."

"I don't know about that. I feel pretty clueless most of the time. Pretty backward too. I'm a bad judge of character; I can't tell how people feel except when I cheat and use resonance. I have no clue how I'm going to learn everything there is to know about being a Shinigami."

Kid kissed Maka pulling her back down into the water so that her chest crushed against his. It was a pretty awkward move and Maka nearly went under the water in high backed clawed tub.

"God this tub is too deep don't they realize that people could drown in this thing!"

Kid laughed again at Maka's discomfort. "We ought to get out of here before we shrivel up."

"What? No, I haven't washed your back yet."

Kid flipped Maka a smile and handed her a natural sponge. He was enjoying the royal treatment and all the special attention. Maka seemed to have cast off her shyness and opened up to him completely. It felt good to be able to talk to her this way, to touch her and be so open. Everything felt more or less like a dream - it was just too perfect.

Maka ran the sponge over Kid's back and chest before playfully reaching down in the water to wash other things which made Kid jump in surprise.

"Oi! What are you doing? Do we need to go back to bed?"

"No" Maka purred happily. She loved touching him; feeling him this close to her was great. With Kid there were no ulterior motives, no unhappy surprises. He was so open compared to somebody else she knew. Maka tried not to think of Soul though. She had made her choice, and she believed it to be the correct one. She just hoped Soul would learn to accept it and not stay mad at her for too long.

She shook her hair vehemently to rid her mind of him and Kid snapped a lock from the air and gazed at the blond tresses lovingly. She was surprised to see him kiss it gently. He spread her hair out, letting it fall between his fingertips.

"My turn. I think you've had enough fun with the sponge for now. Besides you keep washing me down there and I might just have to take you again."

Maka blushed. Even though they had slept together the night before she wasn't used to the dirty talk. She enjoyed seeing Kid so confident and assertive; it wasn't something she had witnessed often. Usually he just stood back and tried to go along with what everyone else wanted. She felt the sponge graze across her back before he squeezed out the water and it foamed against her neck and chest. He decided to get her back and pushed the sponge between her thighs, stroking her before abruptly handing her the washing pitcher to fill. Maka made a tiny frustrated noise.

"This would have been more fun if we'd been able to shower together. The tub's so deep I can't even see your body," Kid complained.

"Didn't you get a good enough look at it last night?" Maka questioned as she filled up the water pitcher for a third time.

"No. I never get tired of looking at you. If I had my way I'd paint you naked and have your portrait hanging in my bedroom so I could look at it every day. And I don't mean that to be perverted so don't go smacking me... I just think you're that beautiful."

Kid slid his hands down over Maka's breasts.

"You are the most stunning creature in the whole world; you really are like a piece of art."

The things you say...you sound like a nobleman from one of those period romance novel. I'd be careful talking like that in front of our friends. I think they might make fun of you even though I know you're being sincere. "

"I can't help it though, I love you and I just want to spout poetry about pretty flowery things."

Maka giggled and kissed Kid on the neck. "You know, its okay when it's just us, I don't mind. But I don't want Black Star ripping into you because you say romantic things. I might end up beating him senseless if he started to lean in on you."

"My knight in shining armor. You do know I can take care of myself, I've been able to fend off Black Star by myself before." Kid said sarcastically

"Have you noticed how much he's changed lately? I really don't know what's got into him. He's usually completely immature and now suddenly he's giving me advice." Maka mused

"About that...You know, I wouldn't go listening to much of his advice, he has his own ulterior motives."

Maka began shrieking with laughter, "Black Star! He doesn't even know how to spell 'ulterior motive'. Yeah he's acting more grown up but I don't think he's capable of scheming."

Kid felt slightly jealous all the sudden. He wet down Maka's hair, watching the blond strands turn to brown as he covered it in water. He began lathering Maka's hair till it foamed. He decided that Maka had way too much faith in Black Star for reasons he didn't understand. _Hadn't they been rivals? Had he misunderstood that? _He decided to be blunt and say what was on his mind. "What exactly was your former relationship with Black Star? I know you were childhood friends but were you two ever anything more?"

"How did you know?" Maka sounded surprised

Kid felt his stomach drop; that was the answer he was afraid of.

"Professor Sid use to babysit me when Mom and Dad got into screaming matches and started throwing stuff at one another. For some reason he always knew when to show up. I had dinner at Sid's a lot growing up and Black Star was Sid's ward. I think he took Black Star in out of guilt for what he had done to White Star. But I'm getting off topic though. Kind of funny actually, Black Star was a year older than me but he always chose to stay by me and play with me. Other kids always gravitated to Black Star - he had such a big personality it was hard to ignore him. He used to be really angry at the world, and he had a habit of taking it out on the boys he made friends with but he was never like that with me. He knew how nasty my mom and dad got with one another and he sort of decided to be my protector.

He actually started making plans to run away so that I wouldn't have to live at home any more. He packed sandwiches and my luggage, and bag full of his things. I think we got about four blocks before I started crying and we had to go back to Sid's."

Maka buckled over with laughter. "You wouldn't have liked me back then I was a real cry baby. Completely weak and useless. Black Star helped me change that though. He was tough, real tough, and he would beat up anyone that so much as looked at me wrong. I used to idolize him for that and I followed him around like a puppy. The fact he was a real live ninja made him even better. I had a romanticized view of what ninjas were from anime. And since we'd left Japan and all my friends from back home I clung to my culture and things that were familiar to me. Black Star was the only other Japanese kid in Death City at the time and he spoke fluent Japanese and English. Well anyway, Black Star talked a big game and I use to believe everything he said. He was like a big brother."

"When Black Star said he was going to join the DWMA, I decided I would too. We trained together for the academy but Black Star went a year before I could. I expected Black Star to be some great ninja and to be top of his class in the academy; instead the jerk off screwed around too much and failed. When he got held back it was a huge let down for me but it didn't seem like he cared at all. In the end all that boasting he does is just to compensate for his insecurity. When I entered the academy myself and saw how easy the classes were I was even more disappointed. I became disillusioned with my childhood hero and we grew apart."

Kid rinsed out Maka's hair and felt slightly relieved; he'd expected that Black Star might have been her first crush, not her childhood hero. He rose from the tub and grabbed a handful of towels. Maka took two of them, wrapping one around her body and the other around her wet hair.

"You know what pisses me off about Black Star? It's like he doesn't care. I mean, what kind of guy studies hard for a test but still manages to miss every damn question?"

"A guy who is trying to fail on purpose." Kid answered automatically.

"Oh jeeze I hope not, I don't want him bringing Tsubaki down. She's an amazing person and unlike Black Star, Tsubaki tries her best."

Kid was sure that the real reason Black Star got held back wasn't because of the idiocy he always played at. It obvious that he'd wanted to wait for Maka to catch up. He had been worrying about Soul and his feelings the whole time and hadn't really considered Black Star as much of a threat. Maybe he would need to sit down with Black Star too. It certainly wouldn't be hard to pry information out of him. Kid could read Black Star like a book. Or maybe he was just being too damned insecure and paranoid.

"Well what are we going to do considering its three o' clock in the morning and we're wide awake and freshly bathed?" Maka asked as they brushed their teeth.

"Well we could go down to breakfast. You said you were hungry before. Dad is probably down there messing around with something. We should go see."

"Maybe we could catch the tanuki! I've always wanted to see one before. Is it true that certain parts of their anatomy are grossly exaggerated?"

"No they don't play the drums on their testicles if that's what you're asking." Kid said, laughing. He rolled the words over in his head again and began laughing harder at the image. To the Japanese, a tanuki was a mischievous kami that looked like a raccoon and played pranks on travelers and clubbed them using their huge gonads as a weapon. Hadn't he heard a nursery rhyme once about tanukis' huge genitalia? Thinking about the grossly disproportionate anatomy began to raise his OCPD. _I don't know if what I told Maka was right. What if the ball drumming is some kind of Tanuki mating ritual or how they call their kids home?_ Kid's brain began running out of control. _Are their balls really big enough to use as weapons?_ _Oh shit, I'm going to have to check to make sure. If they're that damn disproportionate maybe I'll cast them out of the netherworld and they can all go live with the fairies!_

Kid clutched his head and began a downward spiral. "After breakfast we're going to go hunt down and trap that tanuki." He declared striking a pose. "I've got to know if what I told you was right."

Maka began sliding clothes out of her overnight bag and Kid watched fascinated. There was something graceful about the way she dressed. He watched her wiggle into her bra and a pair of Hello Kitty bikini panties. She pulled a pair of black tights over her feet and gently rolling the stockings up her legs. After snapping the waist band of the tights over her panties she slid on another frilly slip. This one was less exotic than the one she'd worn last night; it was a solid color and had less lace. In between her breasts were a small pink ribbon and a rosette. She shook out her Spartoi uniform and buttoned herself into the blue skirt and white sailor blouse that reminded him so much of Sailor Moon.

Kid grabbed the blue pants, heavily-cuffed white button down shirt and black tie that were the male version of the Spartoi uniform. He watched Maka pull her collar up to hide the hickey on her neck and adjust the red kerchief around her neck to hold it in place. She shrugged into her white trench coat and its' tails seemed to bounce as Maka moved to the looking glass they'd entered through last night. She started applying a light coat of lip-gloss and eyeliner before she began questioning him again. "I thought you saw the tanuki at the back door, though. If it's tame, it's probably still sitting there."

"Well, we'll still have to catch it to see if it drums on its' giant balls." Kid laughed heartily as the words left his mouth. "To be honest I've only thought of them as another spirit animal that helps us collect souls, I can't say I've even paid attention to them before till you mentioned it. It was just something like a squirrel here in the netherworld; just part of the scenery." Kid watched Maka put her hair into perfectly symmetrical pigtails with a practiced motion and felt a pang of lust. _Those pigtails would look great swinging against her breasts while I -_

"I heard they can talk and turn into stuff, I wonder if that's true?" Maka's voice interrupted his fantasy.

"I've heard that rumor too." Kid admitted. Why had he never bothered to check on this before? It wasn't like there was a crap load of animals living in the Never After, only ravens and a couple of spirit animals. Then it hit him: this kind of thing hadn't interested him when he was young because he was too busy worrying about other things. Like not having friends, and being scared, and trying to deal with his conflicting views of his mother. Now that Maka was here he was able to see the world through whole new eyes. Maka saw the Never After as mysterious and interesting, whereas Kid had found it boring and never ending. He understood better than ever why his father like being around new people so much. The world was a different place when experiencing it with someone who wasn't seeing things through jaded eyes.

Kid nuzzled Maka's shoulder before yanking on his white leather jacket and leading her down the hall. "You sure I can't call you odango with those blond pigtails and that uniform? You certainly do look like _Sailor Moon_. "

"No." Maka complained. She pulled on his tie with her fingertips and reached up on her tip toes for a kiss.

"What about Hello Kitty!" Kid said slyly, patting Maka on the rear.

"You're being bad, you need to behave yourself."

"I'm not the one wearing Underoos."

"Maka burst out laughing, "I'll have you know they came from the women's section!"

"So they're adult Underoos." Kid teased.

"You certainly didn't mind what I was wearing last night."

"Yeah that just tells me that I need to send Blair shopping for you more often. I think I'll buy her a big fish the next time I see her."

"You do know that she'll start hanging on you like she does to Soul. That's why Blair started living with us in the first place. Soul stupidly fed her and now we can't get her to leave. So how does one catch a tanuki?"

"I'm not sure; we'll have to figure that out." Kid answered, walking into the breakfast room. As he'd expected Death was awake. He was standing around in an old robe over pair of ducky boxer shorts and a grey wife beater. He was unshaven again too. Kid covered Maka's eyes with his hand as Death scratched his rear.

"Good god Dad! You know we have company and you come out looking like that?"

Death poured a beer over a bowel of Captain Crunch cereal and sat down unhappily.

"Have you seen your mother lately?"

"No, of course not…oh crap you've finally lost it haven't you?" Kid left Maka's side, darted to the end of the table and shook Death a few good times.

"Mom's gone, Dad. She's not coming back, she abandoned us."

"I...I know that," Death stuttered, "but I felt her the other night when you stayed over and I felt her again last night. She was clawing at the netherworld, trying to get back in. I didn't know what to do so I chased her back with a bolt of lightning and pulled up a barrier."

Kid looked into his father's eyes. "Are you sure you didn't just imagine it? Why the hell would Mom be coming here? I mean, we haven't seen her since I was ten years old!"

Death shook his head. "I know what I felt. It was real. I knew you would react this way and I know you don't want to see her like I do."

"Is that's why there's a thunderstorm outside?" Kid asked coolly.

"Should I let her in? What if she's coming home to us? What if she's realized what she did was wrong?" Death shook violently. "I don't know what to do."

Maka came down the end of the table and pried Kid's fingers off his father's robe. "Calm down, Kid. Go sit down. What do you want to do Shinigami-sama; do you want to see her?"

"Absolutely not." Kid objected.

Lord Death shook his head. "I want to see her but not as an adversary. If she's gotten worse I don't know how I'll feel."

Maka emptied the cereal and the beer can into the trash can, and turned back to Death. She pulled Death's robe around him and fastened the tie about his waist snugly.

"Obviously you don't want to look like this in front of her. It's best not to show weakness right?"

"Yes." Death answered quietly.

"I'll go get him cleaned up." Kid said, exasperated.

"You don't have to see her, but one way or another it will be best if you didn't look weak and broken. Especially if she's our enemy. We don't want her using your emotions to manipulate you."

Death nodded again. "I don't think I'm ready to see her. No, I know I'm not ready to see her. I'm angry. I might kill her accidently."

"That would be a good thing." Kid added snidely.

"Don't talk about your mother that way, Kiddo. It's my fault she left us. I just didn't let her have enough space and time out of the netherworld."

"That is not why she left. She left because she got her jollies on by reaping people in horrible ways. This is not about you and her. It's about mom being a murderous bitch."

Death looked up surprised. "I didn't know you knew about that."

"How could I not know? She used to take me on her insane reaps when I was just a little kid. She'd go from being a good mom to being a violent murderer and I was scared shitless wondering if she was going to turn on me when we were alone."

Maka stared at Kid in horror. _And I complain about how bad I have it with my parents? No wonder Kid needs to control his environment so badly._

Death shuddered," I know, I know; she does bad things but I still love her."

Kid just shook his head and started to lead his father from the room.

A voice called out from the door to the kitchen, "I'll take care of him, and you two kids sit down. I'll have one of the maids bring you some breakfast."

Reginald came in, in his familiar tweed smoking suit. He pushed Lord Death out of his chair and helped him stagger up.

"I'm not hungry." Kid sulked.

Maka punched him in the shoulder. "Eat something, and quit being so rude to your father."

Kid cried out sarcastically. "That's rich...You're always being rude to yours."

"I know, I know, I'm working on it. Because you asked me to, remember? I can't help that I like your dad better than mine though."

Death looked back over his shoulder as Reginald ushered him out and smiled widely. He wanted to say something but he caught Kid's eyes and decided not to. _ At least some one likes me. _He thought to himself. Even if his son thought he was a pain in the ass, the Albarn family enjoyed his company_. _Maka was a great deal like her father, though Lord Death would never tell her that to her face. Maka was caring, gentle and a hard worker. At times Lord Death thought she tried too hard, but he knew that was because she was trying to fill the big shoes her mother had left behind.

Death Scythe was one hell of a fighter; he also was one hell of a friend. He was the only person Lord Death entirely trusted other than his son. _Maybe I should call Spirit over today. He'll help me figure out what I want to do about Belle. It might be good for him to see Kid and Maka getting along so well, too. It would probably ease his nerves a bit to see them playing and acting like kids after they shocked him with all that news about dying and marriage._

Death made up his mind. He would do just that. "It's okay, Reginald, I don't need you to baby sit me while I get cleaned up. Try to go smooth things over with the kids and assure them that everything's alright. Keep an eye on Kiddo – you know how he can get when he's upset."

Reginald's walrus mustache twitched. "Yes, Sir."

"Yes, I'll have breakfast with them properly. I don't want to make too much of an ass out of myself in front of my sons future bride."

"Future bride, Sir? Isn't that Albarn's daughter?"

"Yes, she may be spending a lot more time down here. Kid's going to be taking over for a while, he's planning on getting married to Miss Albarn and I've already given him consent to turn her into a Shinigami."

"If she is anything like her father I'm sure you've made a good decision. She seems like a sweet girl even if she is a bit brash."

"Modern children are like that, you haven't seen what they're like up above lately. I think if you met some of their friends you would be thankful you're down here with me. Kids have changed over the years; they're more violent, more competitive, and most of them don't respect anything or anyone. Hell most children today would have been considered hoodlums and criminals in your era. They have no imagination and hardly ever play make-believe because their toys do it all for them. I have a hypothesis about why they're like that, though. I think kids today get stressed out because everyone forces them to be little adults instead of letting them play like kids; and because they can't handle it they get into trouble and do bad things."

Reginald seemed satisfied with that answer. He ran his hand through his brown hair and dandruff went flying. "Glad I didn't have any offspring of my own. I should be upset to know my grandchild or great grandchild was acting like a right arse." Reginald's Victorian speech pattern began creeping out as he spoke.

"Can you do me a favor Reginald? Can you bring Spirit to me? I would like him to see the kids getting along and playing, I think it will settle his nerves about this whole marriage crisis..."

"Do you mean your marriage or your sons?" Reginald asked archly.

Death didn't bother to answer, he began flinging off his clothes and stepped into an extremely modern bathroom and Reginald took his leave. He grabbed a remote and the shower came on and the soundtrack from Carmen came blasting through the speakers in the granite bathroom. He sang along with the lyrics in Italian and stepped under the waterfall shower head.

_Ah, modern conveniences are so nice!_ Death thought.

He looked at a porcelain tile and his eyebrow twitched. He had laid all the tile in the bathroom himself; a home improvement project he had completed to pass away the hours. But some of the tiles were not perfectly symmetrical; some of the craftsmanship looked shoddy to him. He would ask Mrs. Winchester what she thought of it. _Wasn't she involved in some massive renovation project when she was alive_?

He settled in on cleaning, being blasted from every angle by eight different shower heads. Good thing he hadn't told Kid about this recent edition or he would never get his son out of here, he snickered to himself at the end of track of _Entr'acte to Act III_. _I finally might get some company down here and then all the suddenly my wife shows up, something is fishy_.

Death began counting off the number of people who had been attacked. Soul's brother, Kilik's aunt, Kim Diehl's sister, Tsubaki's father, Faia's and Sanda's mother, Harvar's brother, Ox's sister. Every one of them was a close relative of a Spartoi member.

_That leaves Black Star and Kami, no - Maka's mother has probably been turned; according to the intelligence we have collected. That just leaves Black Star._ Death thought about Black Star and his living arrangements. _The closest people to Black Star are Tsubaki, Sid, and Dr. Stein whether he realizes it or not. That means they could be in real danger._

The wheels in Death's mind began turning. If their enemies knew Black Star well they would target Sid or Tsubaki. _But if they were going to attack Tsubaki why would they have taken the time to go after her father? That doesn't make sense. That means they could only go after Sid or Stein. I doubt Black Star would be too heartbroken over Stein, but depending on how well informed the master manipulator is, it could still leave Stein as a target. _

Death's protective magic sprang outward. He placed extra wards on Stein, Tsubaki and Sid. His eyes glowed cherry red as power leaked out from him everywhere.

"No one touches my students and lives, not even my dear wife!" Death's voice cracked and he gave a maniacal cackle. The death wards he had placed on the three potential victims were massive. He had created a series of traps that would trigger the Grand Design should anyone touch them negatively.

Kid strolled into the bathroom, "You losing it? Do I need to be worried?"

"No I'm just fine!" Death called sweetly.

Kid looked at the fixtures in the bathroom and his eyes went wide. "You've been holding out on me old man, you didn't tell me you had this!" Kid flung his hand around, indicating the modern spa-like fixtures.

"Oops." Death said jovially.

"Why are you doing the evil maniac laugh this early in the morning? Did you just kill someone or did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"Oh I didn't kill anyone. Yet." Death purred. He grabbed a heavy white towel and began to dry off.

"Where is Maka? You didn't bring her in here, did you?"

"She's at the breakfast table waiting for you. She's giving Mrs. Winchester the third degree. I didn't know she was famous. You got any other famous spooks around here she might be interested in meeting?"

"Well, Ehrich Weiss, the grounds keeper. He used to be a circus performer of some sort. A magician too. I'm warning you, he's like Winchester, he loves being a ghost, and he likes to talk about his life. He's just too much of a showman, if you ask me."

"Ehrich Weiss! Hey, he showed me how to get out of handcuffs. He bought me that cool lock pick set when I was nine. I like him. Maka will too, maybe she's heard of him. What was that name he used to go by?"

"Harry something...I can't remember all the details of everyone down here." Death knocked on his head, "The old noggin isn't as good as it use to be."

Kid leaned against the door looking down at the remote that ran the bathroom. "So are you coming or should we start breakfast without you?"

"I'm coming! By the way I'm bringing Spirit over. We're going to discuss matters while you kids play."

"Dad I'm nearly seventeen and Maka is sixteen. We don't go out and _play_."

Death shook his hand dismissively at Kid. "I don't care what you call it: shooting the breeze, hanging out, chilling, whatever. After breakfast you two go do it…wait let me rephrase that, don't go do 'IT'…just go play. I want no arguments between you and Spirit so no sparking with Maka while he's around."

Kid rolled his eyes, embarrassed, "I hate it when you mix euphemisms from different centuries."

Kid followed his now-dressed father down the hall. He watched as his father's robes emerged from smoky blackness and settled around him.

"So what did Mrs. Winchester make us for breakfast?"

"Loco Moco and some other stuff. Maka is following her around like a little duck. It's actually pretty cute to watch."

Death nodded happily. He couldn't eat with his gloves and mask on and made a mental note to put them on after breakfast.

"How are you going to get Spirit here considering you've stopped time?"

"I sent Reginald out for him. He'll drag Spirit's frozen form into the nearest mirror and then Spirit will fall back into our time synchronicity. Hey! You got those hearse pictures ready?"

Kid laughed, "You sure recovered fast! They're in my pocket."

"Well I figured out a few things during my shower. For one, Sid, Stein and Black Star are in danger but I set up a nice trap around them to catch out would be assassins."

Kid turned the corner back to the breakfast room and found it empty. _Maka must still be off with that crazy old woman._

Death grabbed a box from the sideboard and began tossing out car magazines and literature. I know you think the hearse is cool but at least consider some other choices. I've got books on the Tesla, the Jaguar C-X75, the Audi Spyder, Rolls Royce Ghost, Ferrari Grand Turismo…"

Kid looked at the Tesla, a little bit awestruck. "Holy shit, this one is electric and it's faster than a Porsche."

"It's nice isn't it? You like that pumpkin orange color. I bet you it would be crazy fun to drive. Better than the mule carriages we had when Henry Ford first started building them. I actually had one of the 1908 model T's. Did I ever tell you that? You had to wear gloves when you drove it because it was so prone to breaking down. You'd get oil all over your hands. The soot it left was horrible, you couldn't wear white clothes in it and stay clean. Hey, Maka! Come and look at these and tell me what you think!" Death called.

Maka came, helping Mrs. Winchester carry in the breakfast trays and chattering a mile a minute.

"Well I think it was wrong for that fortune teller to tell you all that stuff."

Mrs. Winchester nodded her head and laid the platter down. "No matter now, I'm much happier as a ghost than I ever was in real life."

Maka shook her head amazed and looked to Lord Death. "Did you call me, sir?"

Lord Death cringed hearing the 'sir'. "Uh-yes everything is fine now. Can you tell me which one of these cars catches your eye the most?"

Maka looked at Lord Death. He was calm and composed now; he'd done a complete one-eighty from his emotional state of a half -hour ago. She thumbed through the booklets and noticed that most of them were high powered sports cars. Kid was reading a brochure with another funny-looking sports car on the cover. A couple of the photos strewn about the table caught her eye.

"What am I suppose to be doing exactly?" she asked.

Kid piped up. "Dad this thing says the Tesla roadster can hit 60 mph in 3.7 seconds."

Kid reached over to the trays and took one of the loco moco plates and a side of bacon. "It's totally electric too- 0% emissions."

"Is that good?" Maka asked." I know that 0% emissions are good, but is that type of speed normal for a car?"

Death began laughing and patted Maka on the head. "It's extremely good! It means it's an environmentally conscious hot rod. Which is something of an oxymoron in car speak. Only thing you need to do is pick which cars you like. Kid and I have a little bit of a wager going on. We want to see what you like."

Maka looked at the table again and picked up a Polaroid of a painted hearse. She chewed on her breakfast which, weirdly enough was something her grandmother use to make her for dinner. "This is unique", Maka ventured, pointing her fork at the Polaroid. I like these too, though. She gestured a powder blue Volkswagen bug with a white drop top and a pearl white Toyota Prius.

"Is this for you?" Maka asked Kid suspiciously.

"Yes. I'm looking at all my options. Ok the Tesla roadster is going in the keep pile." Kid said looking over at Maka's choices. He cringed at the white Toyota Prius on the top of Maka's pile. Death peeked over and laughed.

"Looks like economy cars are Maka's taste."

"No, not entirely, I just like the color," Maka said between gulps of orange juice, "I really like the Beetle, but this hearse is amazing too. I can't imagine how much something like that would cost. The cemetery painted on the side reminds me of the one in town. "

Death picked up the Volkswagen brochure and cursed." Powder blue...why the hell have they brought back powder blue? These things don't look half as cool without the chrome and then they pick out some retro color like powder blue."

"Didn't Harry Dresden have a blue beetle?" Maka asked Kid.

"Yes he did but it's supposed looked like a multi color quilt from all the repairs it's had." Kid looked at Maka's choices and saw one thing. Girl cars. Every one of them was a girl car. They probably had lipstick holders and vanity mirrors on the back of the seats.

"Okay, the Toyota Prius is out. I'm not driving a chick wagon that goes 'put put put' .

Maka laughed, "It's a hybrid though."

Kid thrust the Tesla roadster brochure in front of Maka and swallowed down the rest of his food.

"Yes, and this is completely electric and can go 125 miles per hour. And it's sexy." Kid gave Maka a suggestive wink. Spirit stumbled into the dining room followed by Reginald. He looked half asleep and a little bit annoyed.

"The world better be ending, Mort. It's three in the morning and your butler just dragged me into the netherworld by my feet."

Reginald snickered a bit and looked at the table. "I'll make you some coffee sir."

Spirit tore his eyes away from Death for a second and noticed there were others in the room. Maka and Kid were both eating breakfast and looking at flyers for cars. Spirit bolted awake at the sight of his daughter and dropped into a chair beside her, scooting it madly so he could get close to her as he possibly could.

"Maka, honey, what are you doing here this late at night?"

"It's three in the morning, technically it's not night anymore, but to answer your question I spent the night here after having dinner with Lord Death." Maka grabbed a spare plate that held a croissant and dropped some of the Loco Moco onto it along with a piece of bacon and put it in front of her dad without asking.

"Mrs. Winchester is it okay if I make a few more things?" Maka hollered back into the kitchen and the ghost appeared in front of her with more food.

"Reginald already told me we have more company."

"You're going to like this Papa it tastes like Grandma Suki's cooking."

Spirit seemed disconcerted that his daughter was discussing his breakfast with a ghost and shook his head. "Sweetie, aren't you scared being down here alone, with the...err..."

"Spook squad?" Kid offered.

"Yes, spook squad." Spirit said thankfully.

"Not really. Hey guess what? Kid and I are going out looking for a tanuki after breakfast. Since Lord Death stopped time, we're going to go see what tanukis really look like up close."

Spirit seemed amused that Maka was so perky and talkative with him. It reminded him of what she was like when she was a little girl; before she became a sassy little hellion.

"That's nice Maka honey." Spirit answered, digging into his food, "Maybe Papa will come see what it looks like too." A loud clap of thunder made him jump in his chair. He looked out the four large windows into the netherworld and noticed the downpour outside.

"Hey Mort… err… I mean Lord Death, what's with the water works?"

Death chuckled, "I've stopped time and I have a few spells up and running about. It can't be helped."

Spirit watched as Shinigami magic filled the sky and shot out like roots in every direction. The netherworld was closed somehow, sealed tight from the inside.

"Something going on, should I be concerned about it?" Spirit asked, all business.

"Yes, but we'll discuss it later when the children go out and play."

"Dad!" Kid whined.

"Okay, when the youngsters go chill."

Kid just shook his head, embarrassed and Spirit snorted in amusement. His hand fell on something slick and he picked up a Polaroid off the table. "What's this?" he asked, looking at a hearse with the custom paint job. He eyed the big engine in the front of the car and the huge exhaust. "Holy crap, talk about cool!" Spirits eyes lit up like he was in love. "This is even better than Justin's car."

Kid perked up. "You think so? I thought so too. I just have to wait for them to finish the upholstery and install the rims and then I can bring it home. Dad thinks it's a little much."

Spirit shook his head. "That's a huge engine. I'm guessing its fast."

Maka shook her head, lost. "You already own this car?"

"Yes. I'm having it restored."

"You mean you're having your ride pimped out." Death corrected.

Maka laughed and Kid cringed. "Dad we don't live in the hood quit talking that way."

Kid rolled through some car talk with Spirit and Maka looked over at Reginald suspiciously, "I've seen you somewhere before."

"Preposterous! I died in 1920, long before you were ever born." Reginald exclaimed as he stroked down his mustache."

"Kid said you were feeding the tanuki. What do tankuis like to eat, exactly?"

"What are you children planning on doing with the Tanuki after you catch it?"

"We just wanted to look at him. I've never seen one before and Kid said he never bothered to look at one up close."

"When I was younger I use to travel the world a great deal. The first time I saw a tanuki was in China; I was studying some trees and found that tanukis had been eating them. Tanukis like many things but they adore juniper berries. Come with me."

Maka followed Reginald into the kitchen, where he unlocked a cabinet and brought down a squat decanter full of clear liquid.

"Here, this should work splendidly!" Maka took the lid off the decanter and sniffed at the contents; it had a pungent aroma of flowers.

"It's gin. I trust you and Kid not to inebriate yourselves."

"Err; won't this be bad for the tanuki?" Maka asked

Reginald laughed. "It's the only way it won't hurt the two of you. Tanukis are wily and they can be rather dangerous. Of all the spirit animals they are the most deceiving. Tanukis look cute and gentle but they can be violent. They're quite fond of alcohol though, and considering this is both alcohol and juniper berries, the tanuki should be putty in your hands."

Mrs. Winchester tapped her foot on the floor. "You children aren't considering going outside in that rain? You'll catch your deaths." Maka stifled a giggle; obviously the irony of the housekeeper's statement was lost on her.

"No they won't!" an unfamiliar voice proclaimed. A round-faced man with curly hair parted down the center came in and handed Maka two long hooded rain slickers and some gardening boots. One of the slickers was already wet, which sent Mrs. Winchester into a tizzy.

"You're dripping water all over the floor, Ehrich Weiss. Go get those wet boots off and quit dirtying my kitchen."

Weiss made a face at her. "What are you going to do, shoot me if I won't?"

Winchester got wide eyed. She began smacking the stocky fellow, shooing him out. "Gypsy! Circus freak! You get out of here vagabond! Go tend the grounds."

"I'll go tend the grounds." Reginald offered happily.

"You know what Lord Death said. You're not supposed to spend too much time in the gardens. He wants you to be around normal people instead of chatting up plants."

"Because this house is just _loaded_ with normal people!" Ehrich said sarcastically, poking his face out of the mudroom adjacent to the kitchen.

"I swear if you weren't dead I would kill you both." Mrs. Winchester proclaimed in a huff. "You send those kids outside and they'll catch pneumonia."

Maka noted that Mrs. Winchester was a tad bit overprotective, after all Kid was a Shinigami and she already knew there was no way to die in the Never After.

"Don't worry little lady, she's just a crazy old bat, she's always like this." Ehrich told her cheerily.

Ehrich was short for a man, about 5'5; an inch shorter than Maka, and he spoke with a kind of loud ringmaster's voice. Maybe he was a carnival barker his last life, Maka mused.

"Would you like to see a magic trick little lady?" he asked.

Mrs. Winchester gave a disgusted snort. "Magic! Is that all you can think about? No wonder you're a Hungry Ghost. You're never going to get out of here unless you can find something else to live for. The Grim Reaper says..."

Mrs. Winchester was cut off as Mr. Weiss slapped a pair of tiny handcuffs around her fingers. The gray haired old woman gawked at the handcuffs, becoming even more upset as she tried struggled to free her fingers and failed.

Reginald gave a little bit of a snicker. "I see where this going. Good show old man."

"Wiess, so help you, you'd better unlock me at this instance."

Ehrich whistled loudly. "Sorry dear widow, it appears I've lost the key."

Maka watched the exchange, amazed at the sheer audacity of the little man. Finally, with a shriek and a wail Mrs. Winchester stretched out her body, became transparent and disappeared, leaving the thumb cuffs clattering on the floor.

Weiss barked loudly "For my next act I will show you how to make renowned botanist and explorer Reginald Farrer disappear."

"No need to Ehrich, I've got a painting I want to finish and some laundry that I need to get done."

"You were famous in your lifetime too, Mr. Reginald?"

"Only among farmers and green house experts." Reginald sighed.

"He's being modest." Ehrich proclaimed. "About anybody who was anybody is down here."

Maka eyed Ehrich, who puffed himself up. "Certainly you've heard of me!"

"Leave her alone you old blow hard." Death came in accompanied by Kid.

Kid looked a little bit shy, "Hi Ehrich.".

"You been working on your craft, little man?" Ehrich barked loudly.

"A bit but I don't have a lot of time to practice sir."

Ehrich patted Kid on the head lovingly. "You should make time. A good magician always hones his craft. Even if you can do the real thing, you should always use trickery with it. That way people won't know what is real and what is false. It's all part of the illusion. It's like sleight of hand. You work at enough you can convince the audience you can do anything."

"Were you a magician, Mr. Ehrich?" Maka asked.

Ehrich looked Maka the up and down "I was THE magician! An escapist without equal. I can't believe you've never heard of me." Ehrich looked deflated and walked out, miffed.

Death shook his head vehemently, and his skull mask bobbed up and down. "He can't let go of his pride. I swear he's never going to leave the Bardo. Don't worry about him Maka."

"Actually Mr. Wiess is usually a very nice man. He must be having a bad day," Kid defended the gardener.

"You shouldn't encourage him Kiddo. Wiess is still struggling to find his way and I don't want you using his stage name or having him teach you magic anymore. He needs to become less hungry for his former life and lose his fascination with being a ghost."

"I understand." Kid answered, as if he had been scolded, "May Maka and I be excused? We wanted to go look for that tanuki."

"Go ahead," Death said, clapping Kid on the shoulder, "I'll try to calm the rain down but no promises."

"Understood." Maka handed Kid a rain coat and a pair of boots. They were big enough for them to slide their shoes inside and the rain coats flapped down against Maka's ankles and Kid's shins.

"Oh damn, I forgot to ask Reginald what he was feeding it." Kid swore. Maka tugged back the sleeve of raincoat and held up the bottle to Kid.

"Reginald said to use this, that tanukis love gin."

Death and Spirit watched from the door as their children traipsed off through the rain with the thrill of adventure and a bottle of booze.

"He's going to be taking over soon, are you ready for that? Your daughter is planning on being at his side." Death asked quietly.

"I'm trying to adjust to my initial response." Spirit said, sounding angry. "I guess she could do worse; after all he's not a biker or a playboy and he can be downright backwards most of the time so I don't have to worry about him cheating. He's terrified of her so he's not going to hit her, and most likely she'll be wearing the pants in the relationship."

Death shook his head "That's not why I brought you here. I've figured out our enemy's pattern. They're targeting the Spartoi, and the only member left that hasn't been attacked is Black Star. It means they're planning on killing him or someone he holds dear, and that would be Sid, Tsubaki or Stein. Since they took the time to kill Tsubaki's father I think Tsubaki is safe, but I'm not sure about Black Star himself. I've placed wards on three households with a series of deadly traps that will trip the Grand Design if they're attacked. Right now, though I have time stopped. I want to give the magic time to settle in and grow stronger."

"Should I go check on them?"

"I would like you to when I restart time again. I know you're exhausted and judging by the smell of the perfume and booze on you, you've been to the cabaret again. So go find a room and sleep it off first. I want you to be in your top physical form when you go to Black Star's house. I guarantee you they will strike hard and quickly now that they know I'm on to them."

"How would they know that?" Spirit asked baffled.

"Because my wife tried to re-enter the netherworld tonight and I forbade her entry."

Spirit looked at Death shocked. "You expect me to sleep knowing that _she's_ waiting outside soon as you restart time? Wait I've got an idea. If you can sense where their magic is coming from why don't we just keep time on pause? I'll skip over to the lazarus thieves' location and do them all in while they're stuck playing mannequin."

"Soon as you leave the netherworld you will be prone to the same problem. Time is not moving out there, you will become as inanimate as they are at a fixed point in time once you leave here."

Spirit picked at his ear with his finger. "You understand that I didn't get any of that, but I assume you are telling me no." The grim reaper nodded his head at Spirit and tried not to sigh. Spirit was loyal even if he was a tad bit slow.

"What do you want me to do now then?" Spirit asked.

Death looked up reluctantly and spoke the words he was afraid to. "What do you think I should do about Belle Morte? I love her I don't want to kill her, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to. I didn't realize till today that Kiddo knew so much about the atrocities she commits. I've always told myself I wouldn't kill her because she was Kid's mother. She was part of our family and now I hear from my son, that he thinks she's wicked and she deserves to die."

Spirit shook his head. "I know if it were me. I wouldn't be able to kill Kami? The only thing that could push me to do so, was If she was trying to hurt Maka. If she crossed that line than I probably could do so, but I would have to know without a doubt that was what she was trying to do."

"I think Belle Morte checked in on Kiddo the other night. I don't know if she was trying to hurt him or she just wanted to see her son. She left so quick I didn't have time to ask her. I think if she wanted to be here with us, to be a family again she would have stayed and talked to me. I keep hoping she'll come back so I don't have to be alone but I'm beginning to think now that, it's not going to happen."

Spirit shook his head. "I think you need to face facts, maybe we both do our wives aren't coming home. The happy family we dreamed of having has been broken, and were not going to be able to get it back...But maybe our kids are going to give us a new family. A stronger one something that the two of us can be proud of again."

"I hope so." Death whispered.

"Go rest and when you wake up, I'll restart time and you will head to Black Star. I'll send Weiss and Reginald out to grab Stein and Sid and bring them here. I would bring Black Star and Tsubaki here too but it appears they are not at home. I'll have to scan the mirrors and see if I can find out where they are."

Death walked to a room off of his study filled with mirrors. They all flicked on like TV sets and he scanned the images searching for Black Star and Tsubaki but found nothing. Wherever they were, they weren't near anything reflective. He worried that the two of them had disobeyed and gone out for revenge. It's what he would have done at their age. He pushed the mirror glasses father and began watching the still figures of the world move past. He would search the whole planet if he had to.

"Where the hell are you brats?" Death muttered, annoyed.

Little did he know Black Star and Tsubaki were not far away at all. Earlier that evening, Black Star had pushed at the goat with his knees and dragged Tsubaki outside to their fenced-in backyard.

"I know just what will cheer you Tsubaki! Maka cooked us a big dinner. I'll get the plates and you sit here. Well turn on the Christmas lights and have dinner outside under the stars."

Tsubaki forced a gentle smile. She didn't feel like smiling and she didn't feel like eating either, but she couldn't tell Black Star no. She watched as Menace the goat pranced around the yard nipping at insects. The goat had turned out to be aptly named. A real menace, a regular little terrorist compared to every other pet she had ever seen. So far Menace had managed to eat the corner of the sofa, chew up every lamp cord in the house and knock over the altar Tsubaki had been setting up for her father. Menace wandered over and butted her and she shoved it away angrily.

Uncharacteristically, Tsubaki yelled, "You're lucky I'm not in the mood to eat, buddy, or you would be caprine stew right now. I know how to make you into a bento."

The goat stared at Tsubaki with large dark eyes and 'blahed' at her. Tsubaki could have sworn that the goat looked at her defiantly and she thought about running into the kitchen and fetching her stock pot. It turned out Menace wasn't a boy goat at all, it was a girl, and for some reason she only liked and listened to Black Star. That wasn't the only thing that was pissing Tsubaki off though. When the Menace felt like paying attention to the ninja it usually involved some kind of loud, random mayhem.

Being without lights and having her father's altar destroyed by a rampaging goat had nearly sent Tsubaki over the edge. The breaking point had occurred when she went into her bedroom and found that Menace had left a large present right in the center of her freshly changed sheets. Her patience was at its limits. She watched as Black Star stumbled out the screen door to the back patio. He had a large silver lidded pot under his arm and carried plates, forks, silverware and two glasses of Kool-Aid.

At least Tsubaki guessed it was Kool-Aid considering that they couldn't afford to buy any soda this month due to the extra bills the goat was generating. Menace went running to Black Star, ripping and roaring ready to play, and Black Star tripped over her. The Kool-Aid flipped out of Black Stars hand, coating Tsubaki in red and staining her almond dress. She looked up at Black Star angrily but couldn't hold the gaze. Instead she turned her frustration on the goat.

"That does it! Either the goat goes or I do!"

Black Star hopped around madly, trying to dry Tsubaki with a napkin but only managed to rub the Kool-Aid into the fabric.

Black Star began rattling, worried. "I'm sorry Tsubaki! Please don't be mad. It's my fault; I know Menace likes to play and I wasn't paying attention to her. Please don't be angry - I can still turn on the Christmas lights, we can still have dinner. I'll even wash your dress. Maka and Kid showed me how to get stains out. I'm sure I can do it!"

Tsubaki found it impossible to stay angry when Black Star was trying so hard, so she let out a huge sigh. "I don't blame you. I'm going out for a while, I want to be alone." She said glumly.

"Please don't leave Tsubaki! I promise I can fix everything." Black Star pleaded worriedly.

"It's not you; I'm just upset over my Chichi. I'm going to take a walk to cool my head down."

Tsubaki headed out the gate and walked down the street. She turned at the corner and watched the Christmas lights in her backyard flick on.

"He tries so hard to be a good friend." Tsubaki commented aloud.

It had been hard falling in love with Black Star. Tsubaki had started liking Black Star when they went to Japan to tell her father that her brother had finally been slain. Black Star did and said things that could be considered romantic overtures, and that caused confusion in Tsubaki's heart. She knew Black Star had an unrequited love of his own. He talked to her about it regularly, but he said unrequited love was just that - unrequited. He would never tell Maka how he truly felt because he believed he had let her down by failing his first year at the academy. Black Star would silently watch over her and he encouraged his best friend to go out with her even though it secretly ripped him up inside. Tsubaki never confessed how her love for him had sneaked up on her so suddenly. She knew that as long as Black Star was in love with Maka, she had no real future with him. They were friends, and that was all.

Tsubaki felt tears begin to fall and she started running. It didn't matter where she would go; any place was better than here. She picked up the pace and headed down into the business district knowing that she would not be seen. It was pretty empty this time of night. Most people spent time at home or at the casinos and cabarets in the late evening, so the stores closed up around nine.

A hand reached out and grabbed her from behind her. She heard a loud slap against the pavement as arms wrapped around her and pulled her into an alleyway.

"Hey, it's okay! It's just me." a familiar voice said softly.

Tsubaki swung around and found Soul there. He looked kind of worse for wear himself and she wondered if he had been crying too. He hugged onto her tightly, stepping over the pizza box he he'd abandoned on the pavement.

"You were running and crying and you looked like you were covered in blood. I tried hollering at you but you didn't hear me."

Tsubaki shook her head and sent tears scattering in the cool night air. "Its not blood its Kool-aid. Black Star and the Menace dumped it on me."

"And your wrong I...I wasn't crying." Tsubaki said through her tears, "I'm Buddhist were not supposed to grieve near our fallen, but I'm not sure how close or far 'near' really is. I'm not a monk and I don't go to church regularly so I don't have anyone to ask. Normally I would ask Otousan but Otousan is…is...," Tsubaki began bawling in earnest, "Otousan is dead!"

"I knew all that Buddhist shit was just a bunch of bull crap. Who's ever heard of not crying when you lose your dad? You go ahead and cry Tsubaki, go ahead and cry to your heart's content. I don't think it really matters."

Tsubaki felt mildly insulted but her quiet ways didn't allow her to tell Soul that he was wrong. That it had sounded rude. Anyway, she wanted to cry; she wanted to disobey. Everything and everybody could just go to hell right now. She let out a series of hysterical sobs and Soul held her. He slid against the wall and Tsubaki let out a wail of grief. Soul pushed her hair back and kissed her. It wasn't a longing kiss or even a loving one. It was just comforting.

Tsubaki found herself kissing him back. "Please just make the pain go away. I don't care how, just make it go away. I'm tired of feeling empty inside. I can't talk to Black Star, the goat ate the lamps, everything is horrible - just make it go away. "

"I understand," Soul said softly. He kissed Tsubaki's tear-stained face. She caught his lips hungrily and slid her hand down his chest, clutching at him.

Soul broke away from her and began rising.

"I'm sorry." Tsubaki sobbed.

"No don't be sorry. Let's just go back to the apartment. I don't want to get caught loitering in an alley with you crying. Someone will think I'm a mugger."

Tsubaki nodded meekly and picked up the pizza box. "What about Maka?"

"It's through, it's over. Kid won. She's at his place." Soul said shortly.

Tsubaki nodded her sympathies; she didn't really care right now. She just felt empty, and she wanted that emptiness to go away. Her mind and body craved release and she didn't care who gave it to her. She knew she would be sorry tomorrow; that Soul would be sorry too, but damn it to hell why did she always have to be the responsible one? Soul got on his motorcycle, waited for Tsubaki to climb on the seat behind him and took off, speeding down the road just as time stopped.

* * *

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	22. Chapter 22

**!Warning this chapter starts off with the promised lemon!** The lemon may be found in the lemon section under Mature. If you don't enjoy those type of things don't read it, it's completely optional and you can easily understand what happened from the beginning of this story. If you hate skipping back and forth chapter 22 will be posted in entirely on my soul eater site its on my profile. I'd give you the link here but FF removes links to websites. Hey if you want mobile updates I have them now for those of you with handheld readers and cool phones. You can join my twitter SoulEaterFan. I post cool signatures, cosplay photos and much more. What are you waiting for shooo go sign up. If you got fics you want to promote do it there or on my page. I'll be happy to help you out. Well enough off topic crap your here to read. **As always please comment and Review. **

**Forever in the Never After Chapter 22 Spirit VS Kami Revised Wed, 16 2011.**

The completion of the climax had washed away the darkness of the world leaving a satisfied and relaxed feeling and Soul collapsed on the bed sweating against Tsubaki.

He softly kissed her neck and buried himself against her body stroking her hair. "I've never done that before." Soul told her quietly.

Tsubaki didn't comment. She didn't feel like talking, she wasn't thinking of anything too dark and depressing and she worried if she opened her mouth all her worries would just flood back.

"Was, I okay?" Soul worried.

Tsubaki reluctantly opened her mouth. "You were fine."

"You're already regretting it?" Soul asked.

Tsubaki nodded her head and covered her face with her hands. She felt like she was all cried out but a new set of worries entered her mind. _Didn't she just sleep with her best friend's partner?_ She knew Soul said that it was over between him and Maka, but she worried what would happen if her friend ever found out.

"You can't tell anyone we did this, this is a onetime thing." Tsubaki whispered.

Soul nodded his head in understanding but look a little bit defeated. "So what does that make us?"

"Really close friends that did something stupid out of pain." Tsubaki answered forcefully."I still want us to be friends but this can't happen again."

Soul shook his head lost. "Is it something I did or didn't do?"

Tsubaki shook her head. "No it's not anything you did. I just think it's too complicated for us to continue this. After all, it's just a rebound right?"

Soul looked up shocked. _A rebound, is that what this was?_ He was confused. He hadn't planned on using Tsubaki and he had thought for a second they might have something. His ego was bruised and he needed something he couldn't explain.

His words came out fast and anxious, "If I did something wrong its okay, just go ahead and complain. You don't need to always be so considerate of everyone's feelings. It's okay to tell people what you want Tsubaki."

"I'm telling you what I want," Tsubaki answered firmly, "I want us just to be close friends. To act like this didn't happen. I know I don't tell people what I think a lot but I'm being honest with you now. You did everything just fine. There's no need to worry. I'm just not ready for a serious relationship. I mean, what would Black Star think, you making Maka your partner and then sleeping with me. He would probably think you must secretly hate him or have it in for him."

Soul looked up shocked "Black Star always encouraged me to be with Maka. He was always the biggest supporter."

Tsubaki rose off the bed. "That's just because he didn't think Maka would ever forgive him. Do you know Black Star intentionally got held back a year because he thought he was going to be Maka's Miester? He figured that Maka wanted to beat her Dad so bad that she would choose to become a scythe. Of course he hadn't planned on her wanting to be like her mother and evolve a weapon better than her father. It screwed up all his plans. He has this huge big brother complex, it's almost annoying."

Soul let out a breath he had been holding and relaxed against Tsubaki's breasts. It appeared he wasn't the only person Maka had thrown a curve ball to. "Do you like Black Star? I mean like more than him being just your Miester?"

Tsubaki nodded her head. "At one time I thought I might be in love with him but I'm just sweet quiet Tsubaki to him. I'm his best friend and he doesn't see me as anything other than that. I get to hear it all too, all those great unrequited love stories."

"It's hard listening to someone you like tell you about the person they really love." Soul whispered quietly. He knew how Tsubaki felt. It was a raw, longing feeling that felt like it would never go away. Something dull and nagging at the back of his chest.

"You'll get over her Soul. I know it doesn't seem like it, but you're working on it. Guys always have a rebound girl after they get dumped. It's the way they heal."

"It wasn't my intention to use you as a rebound though." Soul explained, exhausted. "I mean you're going through so much right now."

"Don't you understand that this is what I needed too? I mean, yes I've got a lot to figure out but better you than just some stranger, or someone from school that's going to blab all over and ruin my reputation." Tsubaki untied her pony tail and ran her hands through her hair, "Maybe I'm sick of always being good, of always being responsible, maybe for once I wanted to do something stupid and reckless.- Maybe this is my rebound."

"So what do we do now?" Soul questioned.

Tsubaki remembered a line from the book she had just read and recited it aloud. "The only thing we can do: take a shower, wash your sheets and dispose of the evidence. That way when morrow comes no one will be the wiser."

"What did that come from?" Soul asked curiously.

Midnight on the Garden on the Bayou. It's from the end of the tenth chapter where the friend slept together and secretly wished for someone else.

"Rather ironic," Soul said.

"I know, right?" Tsubaki said nuzzling her face into Soul.

"I mean what I said before. Next time you have a problem you can't talk to Black Star about or you just need to blow off steam come to me."

Tsubaki shook her head and kissed the jagged scar on Soul's chest. "I will if you do the same."

Black Star blew out the candles on the table and opened the pressure cooker. He had been playing with the pot for an hour; first trying to figure out how to open the lock on the lid and then sealing it back up again to hold in the heat. He was hungry and Tsubaki still hadn't come home. Menace bleated at him and Black Star unlocked the lid again, amazed at the amount of heat the pot still held.

"Maka is so smart, only she would have a pot that can keep dinner warm forever." He picked up the book he had been struggling to with and re-read a sentence out loud to the goat. "The only thing we can do: take a shower, wash your sheets and dispose of the evidence. That way when morrow comes no one will be the wiser_._"

Black Star kicked his foot into the ground struggling with the convoluted language. "Who the hell talks this way? I mean really, Menace I hate this book! There wasn't an alligator one in it like the movie." He read over the page, "It's just another chick novel. Filled with smut and fancy wording to cover up the fact the author can't write an action scene to save her life. You just wait, I bet two chapters from now someone is going to be pregnant or scared to death they're pregnant 'cause everyone keeps having shitloads of unprotected sex."

Black Star skipped ahead a few chapters and found just what he was looking for. "Yep, saw that coming." He pointed his finger at the book, and Menace took a big chomp at the page ripping it out from the novel. The goat chewed it up and swallowed the page.

"Yeah, you're right Menace. I'm hungry too."

Black Star unlocked the lid from the pot and dished some food in the bowl. He filled Tsubakis bowl as well, hoping it would make her materialize but it didn't. He dug into the pot roast hungrily and swallowed a few potatoes whole. It was cool out tonight it felt like fall had finally ended and winter was setting in. He looked out Sierra Nevada Mountain range and wondered how long it would be till they saw snow. Way too cold for Tsubaki to have left without a jacket and he worried about her running around in a wet dress with no coat.

"I really screwed up this time. Spirit and Maka both told me to be delicate with Tsubaki and go out of my way to make her comfortable and look at the mess I make."

Black Star watched the steam lift into the air from the pot roast and felt strangely nostalgic. It reminded him of something Spirit had cooked for them once when he and Maka were little. It was one of the rare occasions, after Maka's mom was staying with her mother's and Spirit had kept both kids. Black Star dug into the food with a little bit more urgency; he was starting to feel better. He would save Tsubaki some, but he would definitely be gobbling down a double portion, hell maybe even a triple portion. He tossed the goat a couple of pieces of cooked carrot and celery and Menace licked at the gravy on it. The goat cautiously bit into the carrot and began wagging its tail. It lapped up the carrots and the celery in a few quick bites and began begging Black Star for more.

Black Star ran his hand over the goat and fished out a potato from his bowl. Menace nearly took his hand off trying to fit the whole potato in her mouth.

"Hey no snapping, you know Tsubaki hates that. She'd scold you if she were here."

Menace gave him a puppy dog look and butted his leg gently. "I think you've had enough you'll probably get the runs already."

Black Star heard the squeal of tires against pavement and three car doors slammed almost simultaneously. His acute ninja senses sent a tingling down his arms. He could hear dress shoes hitting the pavement loudly. There was a curse and someone opened the overgrown gate to his backyard. He listened to someone beat on the front door as the other body leaped into the tall weeds between the houses.

"Get behind me Menace!" Black Star growled.

He looked around for his weapon and remembered that Tsubaki was gone. He dug into the small pouch where he kept his ninja gear and grabbed a couple of throwing stars and a kunai. He gripped the kunai behind his back with one hand and prepared to throw a star with the other.

A dark shadow appeared behind him and he whirled around to see Sid panting heavily.

"Thank goodness you're okay." Sid gasped emotionally, grabbing Black Star.

Stein and Spirit ran in behind Sid and Spirit seemed to deflate with relief when he saw the zombie hugging Black Star. "We beat them here, fantastic."

"Get Black Star out of here then go find Soul and Tsubaki!" Stein barked.

"Hey what's going on?" Black Star asked, bouncing away from Sid. He smelled action and was itching for a fight. He didn't need Tsubaki; he could go grab one of his practice swords from the house or, better yet, the new vigoorian flail he had purchased to train with. He got the shiny new flail because it just seemed rude to scuff Tsubaki up practicing with trees and training dummies. It also gave him a chance to practice alone. Black Star's mind jumped at the chance to use the new weapon and he fled into the house to grab it. He didn't wait to find out what was going on – he was already determined to fight.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Sid yelled, running after Black Star.

Spirit tossed Sid a giant duffle bag that had a series of belts around it. He glared daggers at the zombie for letting Black Star go. "You know what to do. Get him through a mirror now!"

Sid opened the sack up and called for Menace. The goat took one look at Stein and decided the zombie was better company so it followed him inside. There was a loud scuffling noise, some bleating, some muffled screams from Black Star and then the house went silent.

Stein watched with amusement as every window in the house lit up and the noise was extinguished. "What are we going to do Senpai? Maybe we picked the wrong target to protect."

Spirit shook his head, "No she'll be here. I know she will, and when she comes... well we're going to have a little surprise for her."

Stein didn't like the look on Spirit's face. Spirit never made plans. Stein had sometimes doubted that he had the brains for it and yet Spirit was actually plotting and rubbing his hands together deviously as if he couldn't wait to get them on his ex-wife. Stein heard the divorce had been nasty but he wasn't around to see any of the real fireworks.

Spirit grabbed Stein's arm and hustled him inside the house. Stein shuddered - this was getting just creepy now. Considering he was the more dominant of the two, Spirit was just acting plain weird. What had Lord Death ordered Spirit to do? Spirit went around unlocking the doors, opening windows and leaving the house wide open. He even dusted off Black Star's welcome mat and left the back door cracked.

Stein rolled his eyes, "What are you going to do, lure them into the house to fight? How the hell are you going to pull that off considering the bait has just been thrown in a duffle bag and carried off by a zombie into the Never After?" Stein turned the screw on his head, trying to understand what the hell Spirit was planning. Spirit set hard eyes on Stein.

"You owe me big! You damn near killed me in Jamaica! Because of you I wasn't able to supervise my daughter and now I find out she's engaged to Death the Kid. So I don't want to hear a peep out of you tonight. Kami is coming, I'm certain of it, and you're going to do everything I tell you to do exactly the way I tell you to do it."

Stein gulped. Spirit had moments when he seemed in control of the world, Stein had witnessed them in High School when Spirit had helped him become less of a heartless mad scientist. Nowadays Spirit was a whiny, annoying, drunken lush of a man who spent way too much time womanizing and finding new ways to disgrace himself, but that Spirit was long gone at the moment. His powerful Death Scythe personality was out to prowl tonight and Stein felt strangely nostalgic. Spirit used to be like this all the time before he met Kami and became a punching bag for love. Stein followed Spirit around as he had when they were sophomores, listening to everything Spirit told him and nodding his head at the right moments.

"There's just one more thing." Spirit said happily.

"What's that?" Stein asked.

Spirit had led him into Black Star and Tsubaki's bedroom and pushed Stein on the bed.

"I need you to lay here with me until they get here."

Stein gaped at him and turned a little bit green. "You want me to do what?"

"Oh, get over yourself; it will be just like having a sleep over at my house, like when we were kids." Spirit said calmly.

"I never went to a sleep-over at your house! We always stayed at my house and you always ate all my food." Stein growled viciously.

"Yeah, and you did experiments on me in my sleep. Hardly a fair exchange." Spirit complained. "You need to shut up though and get under the covers. They've got to be coming soon."

"I am not getting under the covers with a grown man!" Stein complained, disgusted.

Spirit tossed his red mane back "As if I would want to touch you! Just get under the covers already. When Kami and whoever else comes in here to murder Black Star and Tsubaki were going to pop out and skewer them. Complete surprise attack!"

Stein shook his head. It was a hair brained plan but it would give them the element of surprise. Stein snorted, he couldn't come up with anything better at such short notice. The bad guys would come in looking for munchkins to kill and they would jump up and bring down the wrath of god - it was a hell of a good plan.

Stein chuckled. Spirit was the type of guy that was great to hang out with; great drinking buddy, told you exactly when you were acting like an ass, and could keep his mouth shut when he heard a secret. Stein saw a pink hair cap laying on the nightstand and snapped it around his white hair. Obviously it was Tsubaki's. He would play along, it was just too stupid and funny not to.

Spirit looked at the night cap. "Why grandma what big eyes you have."

"The better to see you with, idiot. Now get your ass in bed before they get here! I'm not going through all this trouble without getting to dissect someone."

Spirit sat down on the bed and began adjusting the covers over his clothes, making sure nothing was showing.

"I can't believe I'm doing this" Stein mumbled.

Spirit flipped the quilt over his head and rolled to the far side of the bed. He felt Stein do the same; both men were clinging to the edges of the bed doing their best not to be anywhere near each other.

"Quit hogging all the blankets I can't cover up!" Stein complained.

"They're never going to believe I'm a 5'4 blue haired ninja if my carrot top is showing. Just get one of the other blankets."

Stein yanked the quilt hard and Spirit dragged the sheet over him. "It looks more natural this way anyway."

Stein heard a loud thumping outside the house then and the floor boards began to creak. Both men rolled under the covers to face each other and they waited quietly for their prey to enter. Spirit's face was filled with sadistic satisfaction. He grinned wider as the footsteps came closer. Stein gave Spirit a thumbs up, feeling someone approaching the room.

Spirit began listening hard. He heard a scraping noise that sounded like a knife being dragged over wallpaper. He could feel some one looming in the door, watching them. It was slightly unnerving: the monsters had come out of the closet and were waiting for someone to play with. Little did they know there weren't any children here for them to scare. Stein made a jerking movement with his hand as a swooping noise headed toward them.

Both men jettison out of the bed, Spirit contorting different limbs into weapons and Stein pushing a fist full of his electric wavelength at the nearest advisory. The shadows shot out from the walls, grabbing the two adversaries just as both of the men made contact with their attacks. It had a devastating effect.

"It's a living wall! It's a trap, move!" one of them screeched. Spirit cut into her in the dark, and knew from her smell it wasn't Kami. Kami didn't wear dragon's blood and jasmine.

He paused, watching the unfamiliar woman claw at the shadows. "Shinigami magic! You dare use Shinigami magic on The Lady of Death?" The woman's face contorted in a sneer and she blasted the shadows with bright green light forcing them to flee back into the walls. Spirit turned to look for the target he wanted and saw Stein hit Kami with another electric wave. It blasted her out of the grip of the shadows but they lurked around her, prowling in the darkened part of the room.

"Is this what Lord Death cast?" Stein asked incredulously, watching the dark forms rise up into oily bodies that crawled over the ceiling, walls and floor. The sinister forms filled every dark corner and they moved forward with strange sloshing sounds, like boots trudging through mud.

"No this isn't his spell!" Spirit proclaimed. He watched as bone covered roots surfaced from the ground and skulls twisted in their formations, sealing them into the house. Spirit struck at the white haired woman again, bringing his leg down like a guillotine on her kneecap. She screamed bloody murder and he flipped away, landing next to Stein. Stein flicked the pink night cap at the screaming woman and it hit her next to the mouth.

"These roots, they're Lord Death spell. I don't know what the inky shit is." Spirit explained

"It's sealing us up in here with them Sempai." Stein growled darkly.

"Then we'd better win!" Spirit snorted. "

The roots began tightening around the house covering every door and window. They strung tight pushing into the wood with the sound of bone being crunched in-between the roots. Spirit watch the roots crush into the house as Stein made a move to turn him into a scythe. Spirit pulled away from him and made his way to Kami who was recovering from the floor. The roof had been torn asunder and they were left in a dome of gnarling thorns and roots. The walls were torn through with the remains of skeletons and soil covered bark. It was as if a tree had grown around the house, penetrating the foundation and all that was manmade.

"It's not too late, you can still come home." Spirit said softly offering his hand to help Kami up.

She stared at him with cold, unmoving eyes. She used her large cross-shaped sword to help her lift from the ground. Her short blond hair pushed out in little spikes and static began shooting through the strands.

"As if I would ever come back to you! This is a real good trap, Spirit. Did your master make it up for you, or did your boyfriend? I have to say you really caught me off guard jumping out of that bed with another man." Kami spat out blood and her green eyes burrowed into Spirit's.

Spirit felt a mask of apology cover his face; for a second he actually thought of explaining that it wasn't like that. That he didn't go in for men. He thought of begging Kami to come home, but then he noticed the green stuff that was dripping out of her wounds and staining her soft pink sweater. She rose from the floor, wiping her sword on her expensive gray corduroys and looked Spirit in the eyes.

"You still don't understand that I'm here to kill you."

Spirit took a step back. She wasn't acting like the Kami he knew, she was too cool, too level headed. His Kami ran around hitting people with her fists, screaming and angry. This Kami acted like a cold hearted angel of death who wouldn't mind killing your newborn. He reached out to her soul and tried to connect whatever resonance they once shared inside her, and found her barren and empty. She recognized what he had tried to do and she slung the sinister looking sword at his throat.

"How dare you try to force resonance with me!" Kami swung the sword again, flailing it like a battle axe. She tried to use two hands but the hilt wasn't long enough and the attack was clumsy.

"Please Kami, Please don't do this." Spirit pleaded raising both of his hands in the air. "I know you're mad at me but you have a daughter! You remember your daughter, right? Maka. Maka who looks just like you."

Kami twisted her head from side to side and dragged off her multicolored scarf. "I have no family anymore. I am my own woman. I am Scrye." She raised her hand and fire erupted around her, circling her and pushing out toward Spirit.

Stein jumped at Spirit, knocking him down to the floor as the flames licked over their heads, singeing their hair.

"You're going to get yourself killed. You see that blood? It's green; it's just lazarus that's keeping her alive. She's just a mummy stuffed with green tar and someone else is commanding her to walk and talk. You need to wake up: your wife is dead, Spirit. If you can't fight her then switch targets with me."

"No!" Spirit cried looking at the woman he'd once loved. She pushed her way toward him, staggering. Whatever Stein had hit her with had done a number on her. Then Spirit realized what was holding her back. Both of the women were fighting with the black figures, who kept trying to pull them into the inky tar. Both Stein and Spirit seemed immune to it but it was doing a good job of slowing their adversaries down and giving them other targets to swing at.

"No. If someone has to kill her it's going to be me." Spirit answered in a quiet voice that showed no commitment to the words. He easily dodged a blow from Kami's sword but narrowly missed the burst of fire she kicked up with her heel.

"Didn't you listen to what I said? She's dead already. It's not like you're killing her, it's more like you're getting her corpse back from grave robbers. If she had a soul do you honestly think she would be doing this, that she would still be this mad at you?" Stein yelled.

Stein sent another flurry of attacks toward the white haired woman in the gold corset. He was boxing her back into the shadows letting them rip at her and the bony skeletons reached out from the roots to grab her as well. Lord Death's will was a scary thing. The skeletons pinned in the roots opened their mouths, clattering their jaws as they pulled at the woman's feathered cloak. She smacked them away, breaking the bones with her long black talons. It gave Stein a chance to watch Spirit. He was neatly skipping out of the way of every one of Kami's attacks and it wasn't just the interference of the inky figures that was allowing him to do it. It was like he knew all her moves and calmly stepped away from them.

Stein took a second to analyze Kami, searching for the soul she once had and came up with nothing. There was nothing inside her that he could recognize. What he did feel he couldn't quite explain; it felt like a forest. Acres upon acres of forest that spread out as far as the eye could see. It was something like being lost in the woods without a clue how to get out. Empty, dark and untouched by man. Whatever had been done to the zombies had been done with an element of nature.

Stein nearly missed his cue to dodge, distracted by the baffling the sensation. The white haired woman was getting pissed at him and she seemed to ignore the inky forms and tree roots around her. She had her eyes focused on him and him alone.

"That does it!" she screeched, annoyed.

She pulled in tides of power and began gathering up green miasma against herself in folds of energy. Reality seemed to waver like a heat mirage around her as she began feeding power into her attack. Stein leered, amused. She hadn't been able to lay a hand on him till now and he doubted the French corpse's mega attack would be really impressive. Spirit saw the power grow too, but unlike Stein he was worried. He kneed Kami, pushing her into the inky figures and made a run for Stein.

"No Stein! Get out of the way."

Stein pushed his foot back and prepared to grab the energy from the attack. This bitch didn't scare him; she didn't even seem half as apt at fighting as Medusa. She just was too slow. Of course who ever had cast the living wall spell had a lot to do with that. It was actually a fine piece of work.

Spirit twisted into weapon form and landed in Stein's hand. As Stein struck the base of it on the floor the Scythe handle grew, launching Stein up just as the green blast tore past him.

_"What the hell are you doing?"_ Stein yelled through resonance.

_"That's Shinigami magic; it'll kill you in one hit! That woman can rip out your Soul even though it's not your time yet."_

Stein looked into the blade of the scythe and eyed Spirit's reflection. _ "How can she possess Shinigami magic_? _I thought only Kid and Lord Death could cast that stuff_."

Spirit yelled _"move_" just as another volley of the acid-colored magic coursed their way. Kami was getting into the act now too, and fire erupted on Steins coat just as he dodged the green muck. Stein bounced up near a tangle of roots at the ceiling and pulled himself up swinging on the roots like a monkey as two more barrages of magic targeted them.

Kami was sinking into the floor. The black figures were pulling her in but she didn't seem to notice. Belle had destroyed the black figures that had been attacking her. Her magic burned and sizzled against the roots and the skeletal bones hissed and stopped clattering.

_She's trying to run._ Stein called out to Spirit.

_Fat chance of that happening, these roots are Lord Death's magic. She escapes from that there's just another spell waiting for her. _

Stein felt Spirit's soul waver toward Kami again and he could tell he was worrying about her sinking into the floor. He rapped on the blade with his hand as he landed on the floor. _Quit thinking about her as if she's alive. She's dead Spirit. If there's no soul there not even Lord Death can bring her back._

Stein struck the floor with the Scythe and sent stitches out to Belle Morte, tying her shadow to the floor. She reached up and the stitches pulled her taloned hands down, dragging her to the floor in a bowed position.

"Now tell me, how does a specimen like you get death magic?" Stein asked, rubbing his chin. He raised Spirit over his head, preparing to bring him down on Belle's neck but a blast of fire shot the Scythe from his hands. Spirit landed on the floor and contorted back into a man. His feet slung back and he jumped into the air landing back by Stein.

He shook violently for a second and dropped his heel onto Belle Morte's shoulder. A blade sprouted out the back of his shoe, tearing through the leather and piercing into Belle skin. It dislocated her bone with a pop and Spirit twisted his foot in the wound, making the hole in her bigger.

"Go play with my wife a few minutes will you Stein? I need to ask Lord Death's ex a few questions."

Stein turned a malicious grin on Kami. He realized Spirit couldn't torture Kami even if she was just a husk full of primordial jelly. Stein crouched down beside Kami who was sinking into the floor like quick sand and touched the inky substance. "You know I've never seen a living wall before. For scientific purposes, can you tell me what it feels like to be eaten alive by black magic?"

Kami spat at his face and issued a series of cuss words at him. She didn't have use of her hands now as they were sunk into the thick, murky tack. Stein poked at a nearby skeleton that looked like it was covered in tar. It had a powdery white film running through it that rippled in the darkness. This was not Lord Death magic. If Stein didn't know better he would say it was Kid's, but how could Kid anticipate an attack on Black Star?

Stein heard a chopping noise that sounded like blade cleaving through meat. Spirit had dug his hand into the woman ribs and was speaking to her in low and menacing whisper. Stein couldn't make out his words but the woman was screaming something in French. Spirit leaned down and put another hole in the Belle woman somewhere around where her kidney should be. She was quickly turning into Swiss cheese. Pine scented plasma leaked all over the place and thicker gelatinous stuff fell from her wounds. Stein looked at her happily. With any luck he would get to do the autopsy and see what was moving her. Was it magic? Was it the lazarus? There was a world of possibilities once the corpse became a corpse again.

Stein looked away for a moment and saw that Kami was up to her neck. Spirit rose from the floor and was making his way toward her; his eyes were dark and upset. "I need a moment alone to say good bye to my wife."

Spirit's body slunk down to the floor in front of Kami, his body teetering on the edge of the tar that was swallowing her whole.

Stein moved away, turning his back to give the two of them some privacy but he didn't let his eyes off of Belle. He moved to the area that used to be the living room and tried to figure out where the rest of the house had gone. Currently it was all just a snarl of roots with cackling skeletons.

As Stein turned his back, Spirit reached down into the black goo and pulled Kami up a little higher. He raised her just enough so she could speak to him without having the tar push down on her chest.

Kami looked at him in surprise and then narrowed her green eyes. She was much too calm to be dying and she didn't struggle and scream like Belle. If anything she had a slightly happy look.

Spirit took a deep breath and cleared his voice. His eyes were glazed over with unshed tears and his mouth formed an expressionless line. "I'm trying to understand what's happened to you and if we can help you."

"If you want to help me you can get in this puddle here and die with me." Kami said viciously.

Spirit shook his head. "Why did you leave us? Was it just my cheating or did you find someone else too?"

Kami looked at him blankly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"What am I supposed to tell our daughter?"

"I have no daughter. We never had children; I wasn't stupid enough to settle down with an ass like you."

Spirit gaped at her. Had she forgotten everything? "Kami you and I were married for sixteen years, we had a little girl, you remember don't you? It's in there somewhere. We have a little girl named Maka."

"No, I left you. I have no children. I took off on my own and..." Kami stopped, unable to remember what it was she had set out to do after leaving Spirit.

"And what, what did you do when you took off on your own?" Spirit questioned, trying to pry more information out of her.

Kami looked up at him, confused. "It doesn't matter what I did. My only purpose is to serve Baron Marrow. He will crush you for this, I am his favorite."

Spirit stroked Kami's short blond hair and ran his fingers through the spikes. "Kami you have to be in there somewhere, please wake up. Whatever those folks have been feeding you are just lies. You and I were married. You ran out on me because I cheated on you and we haven't heard anything from you since the divorce. I've been worried. Maka's been worried too but I keep sending her post cards from you telling her your okay. Please don't make me into a liar, Kami. Just snap out of it already!"

Spirits eyes began watering, "Come on now, baby, just come back to me. I need you, Maka needs you. I'll quit being a Death Scythe and you can travel. I'll follow you around and we'll do whatever you want, I just want us to be a family again. Please pumpkin, just give me a sign that you're still in there somewhere."

Stein came over, embarrassed, and rested a hand on Spirit's shoulder.

"Her soul's not there, Spirit, her mind's not intact. These women are just shells of their former selves. Dolls with a few random memories that were left when their souls were torn out of them.

"I don't believe that!" Spirit screamed pushing his fist into Steins chest. "She's my wife, just look at her! She's pissed, she's angry, she's abusive but she's my wife."

"Your ex-wife." Stein added hollowly. "An ex-wife who abandoned her daughter to start a new life, who left you to find greener pastures, and obviously winded up in a coffin instead."

Spirit looked up at Stein, mortified. "There has got to be something we can do. We can't just give up on them. We can have Lord Death stash them in the seven hells till we figure out how to fix them. That way they'll be safe and no one will be able to hurt them and they can't hurt anyone else."

"NO!" Belle Morte screamed and lashed out at the magic pinning her to the floor. "I will never go back to the seven hells. I am Beautiful Death! I rule Death! I will not go back there."

She thrashed wildly and magic flung from her fingertips. She gathered her energy about her and pushed at the stitches holding her to the ground.

"You are stone cold crazy is what you are." Spirit lashed out angry. "You weren't a real nice person while you were alive and you're even nastier now that you're dead."

That's when the tremor hit. The wake of the movement sent Spirit falling on his rear and Stein down to one knee.

"Stupid Tahoe Basin fault line!" Spirit yelled rubbing his sore ass.

Two men surfaced from the ground beneath them, a wire burrowing upward and turning up the earth. Spirit sat there, pointing his finger at the boy commanding the wire and at the tall Japanese man who pushed the earth in minor tremors with his feet. "The- that's impossible" Spirit stuttered.

Wires shot out from Rasp's hand and lifted Kami out of the ink that was swallowing her. A swarm of crows exploded from the ground and picked at the stitches gluing Belle Morte to the ground. Belle made a lunge toward Stein but was blocked by the thick shouldered Japanese man. He tossed Belle over his shoulder and Rasp grabbed up Kami.

"You… you can't be alive! I saw you dead, I watched Kid reap your soul and send parts of it to the nether world. He sent it to the never after." Spirit stuttered.

The Japanese man whirled back around and yanked at his chest, producing a long samurai sword.

He gave Belle to a woman transformed out of the flock of crows and held the sword out. He dug the blade into the dirt and the ground swallowed them up, leaving Spirit and Stein gasping for air through a cloud of dust and debris.

"That's impossible." Spirit exclaimed.

Stein sent the screw on his head spinning. "Obviously it's not, since Tsubaki's father just came in here with Soul's brother and rescued Belle and Scrye."

Spirit turned around, angry "That's not her name! Her name is Kami."

Spirit watched Death's magic spells shatter around them. The roots began shriveling up as if they were dying. Unfortunately, the house seemed to need those roots to keep the roof up and the house began crumbling around them. Stein was a quick thinker though. He yanked a mirror off the dresser, laid it flat on the floor, drew numbers with his own bleeding fingertips. He pushed Spirit through the mirror and jumped in after him, just as the roof came down and shattered the mirror.

The two of them fell for a minute before being spit out right over what looked like a roman bath that had been turned into a carp pool. They splashed down in the water scaring the fish to the opposite sides of the large water enclosure. Stein looked up at the jigsaw puzzle ceiling composed entirely of different sized mirrors.

"Stupid place for a mirror." he complained.

As if by magic, all the fountains came on, and the surrounding statues began pouring water into the pool. A cherub statue over their heads began squirting water, which made it look like he was pissing on Spirit and Stein. Spirit smacked the water with his burnt and dirty hands and the fish darted away again, frightened.

"I need a cigarette." Stein exclaimed, reaching into his lab coat. He pulled his box out and found they were all wet. He looked over to Spirit, hoping he would have at least one dry drag, but no luck. Spirit was examining his box with the same lackluster enthusiasm. He dropped the cigarettes in the water and a mammoth sized carped swallowed one.

"I hope they give you cancer!" Spirit spat. The large orange and black carp ignored him and submerged back down into the water.

Stein began to chuckle, and Spirit followed; soon they erupted into hysterical laughter. It had been one hell of a night and the two of them were totally exhausted. Even stupid stuff like a cigarette-eating carp seemed funny.

Death arrived, followed by Maka, Black Star, Tsubaki, Soul, and Death the Kid. The only people missing from Team Maka were Patty and Liz, and Spirit wondered for a second if the two girls were okay. Of course if they weren't, then Death would probably already know about it and would have stopped time again.

"We failed Lord Death, I'm sorry." Spirit said glumly, "The bad thing is I had them both and they just slipped away." Spirit looked down at his hands wondering what he could have done differently. He decided he probably should have killed Bella and dragged Kami back through the mirror before he questioned her, but that was all in hindsight now.

"We were watching. It couldn't be helped." Kid explained coolly.

"My Outousan, he's now one of those things." Tsubaki spat. She was cursing her misfortune. First her brother had become a kieshen, now her father had turned into some husk of man-zombie. It was horrifying to know that someone had stolen her father's corpse. She was seething now; she would have revenge on whoever did this. Whoever desecrated her father's body and whoever thought they could disarm her with her emotions. She was livid and the anger poured off her, prickling her flesh. She looked over at Kid and felt slightly disturbed by his presence. She had heard Spirit say that Kid had tried to send her father's soul to the Never After. Why couldn't he have waited until after the funeral services had been performed? Weren't Shinigami supposed to allow a victim's family to grieve before sending them on for reincarnation? What was this crap about sending her father's soul down here to Lord Deaths domain?

Tsubaki made a face at Kid, who looked confused and then worried.

Tsubaki felt someone grab her hand. Warm fingers crossed with hers and squeezed tightly. She looked over her shoulder and saw Soul standing there with a cross look on his face. The side of his lip perked up in a slight grin but fell back down immediately.

"Where's Sid?" Stein asked, not seeing him in the group.

"He got sent after Patty and Liz more than an hour ago. He should have been back by now." Black Star pouted. "I don't see why I got shanghaied to the Never After. I could have just as easily went and got the girls. Maybe you guys wouldn't have got your ass kicked if a Star like me helped you out."

Maka smacked Black Star on the back hard enough to cause the ninja to stumble a few paces. "Maybe you didn't understand but my mother and Belle were coming for you. Or didn't you understand that Papa and Stein weren't the real targets?"

Black Star made a low gurgling noise, "When are you going to get it Maka? Big stars like me don't need protection, we don't need body guards. We take care of all you little people."

Maka bent over, defeated and annoyed. She wanted to club Black Star but she wouldn't let him goad her into it.

Kid squeezed her shoulder in understanding and whispered. "Let it go."

"You don't seem too worried about Patty and Liz." Stein said, observing the new dynamics forming in the group.

"No, I left a little surprise for anyone who tries to attack them. I don't think anyone will be stupid enough to go after my family in our own home."

Stein twisted his neck, popping it, and self adjusting his sore body with moves traditionally done by a chiropractor. He raised himself off the terrazzo floor and squeezed the water out of his sleeves and shirt.

"I'm worried about the Spartoi squadron, Lord Death. I think we might need to have an emergency training session to explore the way the children's abilities will play together when they're burdened with such extreme grief and duress. After all, many of them will be fighting their loved ones in days to come."

Lord Death nodded, "I agree. You should try conducting that tomorrow at school. For now though, I think it would be good for everyone to have a rest until Patty and Liz joins us."

"Its odd they haven't got here yet," Kid remarked. Steins comment had risen a uncomfortable notion that maybe Liz and Patty weren't ok. Why wasn't Sid back yet?"

* * *

**Author's Corner**

If you wonder why this chapter is so late, I can tell you I completely rewrote chapter five and now I have to fix chapter six to make the story go back to the right continuity, I've been expanding the time line in the earlier chapters, and decided, the baddies needed to show up earlier. For those of you who complained Soul was OOC and was just too mean even to be sick you will probably love the new chapter 5. I revised him a bit. But I didn't do it appease you rabid Soul fans I actually made him nicer but it was more because I just didn't like how quickly Maka fell into the relationship with Kid. So I'm adding time to the story. Cleaning up all quotation problems in earlier chapters and add more description. I'll try to get Chapter 5 up after I fixed Chapter six to match so until then have a good day.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Notes**

One of my biggest qualms in movies and books is that every time a character goes to a new country they magically find the one asshole that can speak English. It doesn't matter if it's a little town out in the middle of nowhere, that English speaking guru that knows the land and can show them everywhere is always waiting for them. Well not in my dang book! Here are the translations for the chapter. I'm sure you can just read around them but if you want to know what is being said here you go.

Oh, and for my one Hungarian reader, if you can double check this and make sure it's ok I would be most appreciative. I've triple checked the dictation but I know it could still be wrong. I tried my best but I'm better with German and Japanese than Hungarian.

Also if anyone is Jewish and I left out something important from the funeral practices let me know so I can write it in.

**Translations for the chapter **

**hidegtõl meggémberedett: benumbed with cold**

**síelõ: Skier**

******nincs esze, üres fejû: Dead above the ears**

**********ezer éve nem jártál itt: You are quite a stranger**

**************nem tudok eligazodni: I have lost my way.**

**************És ön: Who are you?**

******************Forever in The Never After (Revised Feb. 25 2011 6:54 PM)**

******************Were Not Twins!**

******************

* * *

**

Patty ran toward the corner of the viaduct with her sister right behind her. Something weird had happened a second ago. She was running, there was huge jerk and she almost fell to the ground face first. Liz was catching up now and she looked confused too.

"Did you feel that?" Liz asked taking off her cowboy hat and adjusting her hair.

"Yeah, I was running and it felt like I couldn't move for a second. Then there was that jerk and I was running again." Patty complained

"Why did you get so mad and storm out like that? You've been doing that a lot lately."

"Would you be angry if I said I'm sick of being looked at like one of your accessories? Liz, I'm tired of everyone seeing me as just another piece of you. I want people to look at me for who I am, not just as Liz's little sister."

Liz was taken aback. She stared for a moment with her mouth open, trying to say something but she was unable to find the words. She looked up at the sky for help and saw snowflakes beginning to fall. They clung to her eyelashes as she looked at Patty sadly and listened to her rant.

"You're always in the spot light! We have the same friends, the same clothes, and you seem to think I always have to agree with you. But Liz, I don't. I used to be happy that you always spoke for the two of us. I couldn't seem to put the words together to express my feelings, but I'm finding out that I can do things for myself. I can think for myself, Liz, and I can choose not to give a shit about Black Star and I can choose my own friends."

Liz began to cry. "Friends like Maka?" All you talk about anymore is Maka this and Maka that. I don't get it. I'm your friend too! Sure we're sisters but how come you talk to her more than you do me?"

"Because it's just like you said, you're my sister."

And then Patty saw lights flicker around Liz. There were balls of color pulsing around her, pushing toward her and a strong scent of magic hung in the air. Patty felt another weird shift, as if the ground beneath them moved, and a dark figure stumbled out of the shadows. It was a middle aged man somewhere in his late thirties. And Patty knew him. She watched the man stagger on a cane from the far side of the Fifth Street viaduct. More of the lights surrounding him left and began dancing around Liz, but as always Liz couldn't see them.

"You need to move." Patty growled, pulling her sister behind her.

"What, what are you doing? What's wrong?" Liz cried. Patty's abrupt movement nearly knocked Liz on her ass. Liz started to complain, but realized the two of them were not alone.

Patty tossed her hat down on the ground and clicked her heel against the pavement. Spinning the spur on the back of her boot, she took a wide gunman's stance and stared at the man limping toward them.

Liz eyes followed Patty's to the stranger. She took in the man's appearance and her eyes widened. "No, No, No way." She whimpered.

"Transform Liz!" Patty snarled through clenched teeth, "Transform now."

Liz looked at the tall man, staring at the scar she had cut into his face. He smiled at her happily, his split lip curving up into a gentle grin. "I'm sorry girls I seem to have lost my way. Do you mind telling me where The Gallows is?" His German accent was unmistakable.

"Gunter?" Liz croaked. She couldn't take her eyes off of him and she was shaking in her boots. The man looked nearly the same as he had twelve years ago. Bleached blond hair, stormy blue eyes; the only thing different about him was the scar that ran from his left eyelid all the way down to his lip. She guessed to some women he might have been considered handsome. Her mother had certainly thought so. So much that she'd dumped her children for him; even after he nearly beat Patty to death and Liz had barely been able to defend herself with a broken bottle.

Gunter's smile widened.

"Well you two couldn't be Veronica's daughters, now could you? I don't know why I didn't see it before. Why, Elizabeth you've grown up to be such a beautiful young lady. It appears Patty has healed well too."

"Transform!" Patty screeched again.

But Liz did not transform. She took a step backwards and then another. She reached out for Patty's hand and pulled her backwards.

"You know it really must be providence, I come to Death City to see what's taking your mother so long and now here the two of you are. I thought I might have to go to all the way to The Gallows to find you. I heard the two of you were shacking up with Lord Death's son. Tell me Liz, do the two of you have fun with him? Do you take turns or does he take you both at the same time? Rude of me to ask, but I can't help myself. After all, I've always had a thing for sisters. And the daughters of a whore can't be much different than their mother, now can they?"

"God damn it Liz, transform already so I can shoot this bastard!" Patty cried, fighting off tears.

"Run" Liz commanded. Liz took off with Patty in tow and heard the man's walking stick clatter to the ground. His limp disappeared as he began to give chase.

"We've got to get home," Liz cried, "Kid's got wards up on the house. We've just got to make it to The Gallows and he won't be able to touch us!"

Patty picked up the pace and ran ahead of Liz. "No we don't! Just transform already and let me kill the bastard. I still owe him for what he did to me. Please Liz be strong, be strong and transform, for God's sake for once in your life quit running!"

Liz stopped her eyes full of tears and her breath coming in gasps. "I can't. He almost killed you before. Patty I can't!"

"Yes you can!" she hissed, grabbing her sister's shoulder and pulling her into weapon form.

She twirled the pistol around her finger like an old gun fighter, crossed her arm to give her precise aim and began shooting into the dark. The gunfire clipped into the Oni and they shattered like fireworks in the dark.

Patty listened for movement and heard the footsteps coming toward them. She closed her eyes and used her senses to find where the noise was coming from and quickly sprayed off a series of shots at Gunter. The shots made contact and Patty watched the man step from the darkness into the lit circle of the street lamp.

Gunter smiled at her and she saw thick green liquid pouring from his wounds. "Still an angry little animal, aren't you Patty?" he chuckled, "No matter, all that anger will be put to good use once you girls are mine."

Patty fired repeatedly into the man and he staggered back under the force of the shots. He adjusted his black tie and grinned again.

"We can do this all night you know? After all you can't kill what's already dead."

"Watch me." Patty screamed firing another series of rounds so fast that it brought Gunter down to his knees.

Gunter snarled at her and put his hands on his chest. He pulled two of his own ribs free and tore them through his flesh, brandishing them like daggers. The snarl twisted back into a smile and he stared at her euphorically.

"Be a good girl and just surrender. I promise I won't hurt you this time. This time I'll treat you both like absolute princesses. The two of you can have Scrye's spot by my side."

Patty changed her stance and moved her left leg back and fired off a couple of wild shots they pinged off the lamp post, plugging into Gunter. She shot at the Oni, blinding Günter with their bursting lights and rapidly fired more shots through the cloud of smoke at the tall slender man.

"Give it up already, you can't defeat me!" Gunter cackled.

In the darkness there were burrowing noises and something jumped out of the darkness and pulled Gunter into the shadows.

A deep, thick voice filled the night, "I used to knock the shit out of creeps like you for just looking funny, that's the kind of guy I was"

"Sid" Liz screamed happily through resonance.

Sid slapped Gunter into the ground with his tombstone. He pounded Gunter repeatedly the large slab of marble and Gunter pulled the Oni back to himself. Patty noticed a rancid smell and shot at Sid a couple of times, driving him back just as Gunter released a large blossom of green and teal magic. Sid looked up at Patty, realizing she had only shot at him to force him back. Sid gave her a thumbs realizing she had been trying to save him from the magic attack and resumed his assault on Gunter.

"You know when you're dead the thought of smashing other dead people doesn't bother you so much!" Sid made a series of violent moves that ranged from Capoeira to Krav Maga. He smashed Gunter's face until it gushed green and the night air filled with the scent of pine.

"I take it you are Baron Marrow. Frankly, I'm aint impressed." Sid spat. "My kid could have knocked you senseless, you rotten sack of flesh."

Patty covered Sid, spraying fire long range until she couldn't resist her need for contact. She ran forward moving from side to side; tripping the Baron and then firing at him. She crouched low to the ground and snapped the gun up at odd angles firing at point blank range and then kicking the soggy flesh away and back to Sid.

Liz whispered to her softly. "Patty please don't get in so close. I don't trust him; he's not trying to fight back."

"He's not fighting back because he's weak. He ain't nothin'. Just like Sid said; just a rotting corpse."

The Baron fell to the ground in a sickening heap of splattered parts no longer recognizable as human and Patty narrowed her eyes at it. The flesh seemed to pulse and Sid backed away and stood in front of the girls.

"Something's wrong" Liz screamed through resonance.

A murder of crows came diving down from the sky. They began picking up the bits and pieces of the Baron and fled into the night.

"No you don't you're not getting away from me this time!" Patty screamed, shooting at the birds. She dropped a few to the ground but more came to take their place. Part of the flock dove at them, scratching and pecking while the rest continued to pick up the Baron's remains. Patty dry fired into the mess and saw the birds leaving through a shimmering slice in reality. She chased after the flock despite the pecking and the clawing at her face and ran into the crease that the crows dove through. Sid chased after Patty calling to her and pleading with her to come back. But Patty just kept pushing forward into the light, dropping as many crows as she could with the revolver. Sid came up behind her and yanked her arm so she would stop running after the birds.

They quit moving for only a instant and found the light and the tunnel were gone. That wasn't the only missing either the world around them had changed. They were no longer in Death City. Instead of flurries there was snow halfway up Patty's boots. Tall trees surrounded them but the crows were gone. Patty shivered in the cold and looked around at the unfamiliar landscape. She could see a city composed of red shingled roofs and white plaster buildings, all covered with snow. In the center of the town was a tall Romanesque church carved from stone and covered in plaster with beautiful terracotta colored roof. Patty trudged forward into the snow, struggling through the unbroken drifts while her teeth chattered together uncontrollably.

Sid was unfazed by the cold and barked "Go ahead and transform Patty! You'll get hypothermia if you stay out here in shorts for too long. We'll head down to that town and try to find a mirror big enough to get back to Death City."

Patty tossed Liz over, transformed herself, and Sid began plowing his way into the deep snow. The town wasn't as close at it looked and the snow was deep in some places. It took Sid an hour to reach the basin of the town. By then he had icicles hanging from his dreads and frost that clung to his nows. His clothing was matted with ice balls and he dusted himself off before Sid tossed both of the pistols out into the snow and both of the girls took their human form.

"This is far as I can take you girls. If I walk into town with you, you're not likely to receive help."

Both girls objected immediately in a fit of argument that Sid took for whining.

"What about you, Sid?" Patty called out worriedly, shaking in the cold.

"I can't feel anything so just go on."

Liz looked up at the zombie's pupil-less eyes and found sternness there.

"Shido, what are you going to do when we go inside?"

"Just wait here out in the snow I guess." Sid picked at a scab forming on one of his shoulders along the death tattoo and flung it into the snow.

"Patty, go knock on the church door and get inside," Liz barked.

Liz handed her white coat over to Sid and he reluctantly took it and shuffled her up the church stairs. Patty beat on the door but there was no answer at first. Then, slowly, an old man with dark curly sideburns opened the door. He looked at Patty and Liz with wide eyes and said something neither girl could understand.

The old man bent down to look at them and touched Liz's bare arm

"hidegtõl meggémberedett" His face went pale and he ushered them inside.

"Where are we?" Patty asked.

The man seemed stared at her in shock and covered his chest with his hands.

"I think we may be in some sort of synagogue. He looks like a rabbi." Liz whispered softly. She rubbed her hands together nervously and looked into the center of the church.

Patty held her breath and took in the warmth of the building. She could see people praying in hushed tones. Another rabbi was reading from a very large scroll and a woman was grieving over a coffin, wailing in soft muffled cries. Another person stood behind her rubbing her back and trying to soothe her.

The rabbi bent down to Patty again "síelõ?"

Patty spoke loudly and her voice reverberated off the synagogue walls. "I don't understand. Do you speak English?"

The rabbi looked back to the funeral and hushed both girls with his hand. His face filled with guilt and he muttered an apology to the grieving before pushing the girls away from the main part of the church.

"Nincs esze, üres fejû." The rabbi growled at Patty. "Amerikai?" He asked Liz, pointing in between the two of them.

Liz thought word was close to 'American' and she nodded her head happily.

"Yes we're both American." Liz said gesturing at herself and Patty.

The rabbi ushered the girls over to a crackling fire and he pushed them down in front of it before finding a blanket to toss over them.

"Ezer éve nem jártál itt" The rabbi complained, rubbing his beard with worry.

"Where are we?" Liz questioned motioning to the room around them.

"Synagogue of Zmad" The rabbi announced without hesitation.

"Sis, where is Zmad?" Patty questioned shivering.

"I don't know" Liz complained pathetically. "He doesn't understand English and I don't know how to explain it to him. The Rabbi motioned for them to stay and left the room.

"I'm sorry." Patty whimpered "This is all my fault. If I hadn't chased after the birds we would be at home right now with Kid-kun."

Liz had a moment of realization. "Kiddo is at Lord Death's!"

Patty nodded weakly, "He won't even know where to find us."

Liz jumped up and began looking around. "No, don't you get it Patty. We can call Lord Death and explain the situation. He'll send Kiddo to come get us. We just need a mirror or something shiny we can use to Lord Death with."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Patty exclaimed, helping Liz search the room. The rabbi's abode was pretty stark. Nothing but the bare necessities.

Patty noticed a tarnished metal platter and turned it over. The back of it was still shiny where it had been sitting on a shelf collecting dust. She wrote Lord Death's number with her finger and his image wavered in the platter.

"Why Patty dear, where are you? I've been looking all over for you girls."

"We don't know Lord Death. I followed the bad guys trying to gun down Baron Marrow and we ended up somewhere strange. All I can tell you is Sid is with us and that it's snowing outside."

Liz took the platter from Patty and elaborated "Were in some synagogue called Zmad. Sid's afraid to come in and they're having a funeral here."

Kid moved into the image.

"If there is a funeral, then there's a good chance I can get there."

"Kid-kun I'm worried. We're out in the middle of nowhere in this little town and no one speaks English. We can't understand what they're saying"

Death rubbed his boney mask. "Zmad is in Hungary I think."

Liz and Patty watched Kid turn back and say something over his shoulder to someone else.

"There, in Kecskemet, Hungary. Its south of Budapest right where the E75 meets the M5. Patty, Liz stay put I'm on my way. I'm bringing a mirror there so we can extract you all safely. Just try to be quiet and act inconspicuous. Whatever you do don't leave that synagogue."

"What if the bad guys come back?" Liz wailed, wrapping her arms around her legs and burying her face in her knees.

"Just stay put and try not to use the anything reflective in front of the locals. We're on our way."

Patty put the platter back where she found it and took a seat back in front of the fire. She sat there quietly, thinking about the past, their mother, Gunter, and the argument she'd had with Liz right before Gunter appeared. _How did everything go wrong so fast?_

"Do…do you hate me Patty?" Liz asked softly, her face still buried.

"No, why would I hate you?" Patty shot back angrily.

"You said that you're tired of living in my shadow. I never really thought of it that way but I figure if someone was always in front of me I would be pretty upset and angry."

Patty reached around her sister and hugged her. "No I don't hate you at all. Sometimes I think I may hate everyone else in the world but never you."

"I'll try not to talk for the both of us anymore. I didn't realize you minded it."

"No, that's not even the problem." Patty stared into the fire and put the toe of her boots near the edge of the coals. "Everyone just seems to look at us as if were a set. I'm sick of other people seeing me that way. I want to stand out on my own."

Liz nodded, "Maybe we can start by not wearing the same things every day. I mean, you don't like some of the girly things I like, and I don't really care for some of the tomboyish stuff you wear. Kid'll probably freak."

"We could do that." Patty agreed, "It might be nice if you didn't always volunteer to go everywhere with me all the time, too. I like spending time with you and all but sometimes I feel like you're babysitting me. I think I don't need that so much anymore."

"I've never thought of it as babysitting you. I mean, half the time you're the one bailing me out of jams. You're a lot stronger than I am. You're braver and you seem to know what to do when everything goes crazy. Not to mention all this oni stuff, and the premonitions. In that way you're more like Kiddo and I guess I kind of feel left out. You two have this unique power that you can share and me; I'm just dumb, bossy old Liz."

"You're not stupid Liz! You don't try at school but you could make good grades if you wanted to. Guys like a girl who knows what she wants, and if you were a brain, well you'd have everything going. Looks, brains and strength; I think boys would be beating down your door and I know that's what you secretly want.

Liz sniffled, "Yeah that is what I want. The bad thing is I don't know what you want anymore."

"I want my own best friend." Patty said firmly. "I want someone that likes me for me, and I think I want to be Maka's weapon. I think she and I are a lot alike."

"I think you can aim a little higher than just being Maka's weapon."

"Ok then how's this? I want to be able to express myself without people thinking that I'm weird and creepy and I want to be the best of all the Death Scythes. And that includes Tsubaki, Soul and you. Hell, since were dreaming, I want to be better than Spirit too."

"That's a good goal. Spirit's pretty hard core. Handsome too."

"I wouldn't know about that. Since I'm revising myself I think you should too."

"Okay, I want to start dating again. I'm going to have a lot of free time on my hands if you're going to be doing things on your own. I want a boyfriend. He needs to be tall, dark, handsome, non smoker, rich, have impeccable fashion sense, and most importantly he needs to be faithful. I want one of those guys that will be so blinded by my beauty they won't see any of my faults."

Patty snorted, amused, and heard a knock from the outside of the synagogue. Both girls got up and looked down the hall from the rabbi's quarters back to the entrance of the building. The rabbi stood at the door speaking to someone quickly in his own tongue.

A familiar voice said "Nem tudok eligazodni."

The Rabbi answered back quietly and opened the door.

Kid stepped inside followed by the rest of the team. Kid continued to converse with the rabbi, his voice soft and quiet, while Maka looked down the hall. She had two coats in her hands and when she spotted Liz and Patty she started running.

"You're both okay! Thank god; I thought we were going to get here and find you all bashed up from the fight."

"No, we did a number on him." Patty said cheerfully, hugging Maka.

"Thanks for bringing us coats." Liz said gratefully sliding into hers.

"You won't have to wear them long. We found Sid outside and Papa is setting the mirror but Kid may have to do a reap before we leave."

"How's that working out, Maka?" Liz asked.

"You mean the reaping?

"Yeah, how do you feel about him running out all day and night to do reaps?"

"I know this probably isn't going to make sense but I'm proud of him. I understand he's got to do them, and frankly I think that if Kid is the one to claim the souls then it's being done the way it should be. The world is a gentler place. Because of him."

"Yeah you're right; I don't get a lick of it." Liz complained.

"I understand," said Patty, "Like a soldier's wife, you're proud he's fighting the good fight."

Maka grinned and wrapped an arm around Patty. "So you fought the head honcho, and I don't see a scratch on you! Is he scary? Are we dealing with another kieshen? What did he look like?"

"Like one of my mother's johns. But I'll tell you more about that when were alone and it's just us. "

"You guys know the Baron guy?" Maka whispered.

"Yeah and unfortunately he's a sick bastard." Liz muttered.

Kid finished talking with the rabbi and looked Liz and Patty over; using his keen eyes to look for any new bruises or scratches. "You both okay? He didn't hurt you did he?"

"Yeah we're fine, and we solved the mystery. The Baron is one of our mother's johns. His name is Gunter." Patty reported happily.

"Don't say that as if it's a good thing Patty! You're forgetting that he nearly killed you and left me a couple of nice scars." Liz cried.

Kid gritted his teeth, "How come neither of you ever mentioned this to me?"

"Because it was way before we ever met you, when we were still with our mom. Besides we knew you would fly off the handle the way you do." Liz said, putting a hand to his cheek.

"It's in the past." Patty added quickly.

Kid huffed a breath "Be assured we'll talk about this later. The three of us. Maka, we've got work to do."

Patty's eyes got big, and she danced around excitedly. "You're going to reap some one aren't you? Is it the stiff in there that everyone's crying over? I want to come."

"No," Kid answered curtly.

"Well, why the hell not?" Patty complained, scuffing her shoe on the floor.

"For one, he's not a stiff! That man is beloved by his family; don't you see those people crying over him? For two, Maka is going to try this one on her own and I'm just going to stand back and watch."

Maka's eyes got big and she rattled, panicked. "Alone as in just me? You're kidding, right? What if I screw up? I don't know how to speak Hungarian; I don't even know what kind of church this is. Kiddo, please don't make me do it alone. I don't know what to say."

"She doesn't want to do it. Why don't you do it it yourself _Kiddo_?" Soul complained with a gravelly voice, leaning up against the door frame with a smug smile.

"What's going on?" Black Star asked, dragging Tsubaki in. "I thought we were just gonna grab Patty, Liz and Sid and jet."

"I'll go with you, Maka!" Patty offered, giggling happily.

"Absolutely not. Come on, Maka you can do this. I'll speak to the ghost but you have to tell me what you want said. Take a good look around look for clues about his religion. It's really obvious if you calm down and quit panicking."

Maka blushed and held her breath, "Okay! Let's just do it already and get it over with. Please Buddha; don't let me screw this up."

Kid took Maka's hand and began leading her back through the hall. Soul grabbed Maka's other hand as they passed by him.

"Hey, you don't have anything to prove. You don't have to do this if you're uncomfortable."

"It's not that. It's just nerves, jumping in and doing stuff that I'm not used to yet. It will get easier." Maka assured him.

Soul ran his hand through his hair and eyed Kid dangerously. "It doesn't have to get easier; its Kid's job not yours. There no reason you have to do his work."

Maka smiled at him gently. "But that's where you're wrong. Pretty soon it's going to be my job as well, and I want to be good at it when it comes time for me to do it on my own." She squeezed Soul's hand gently, "It's okay. Kid's going to be there, and I sort of know what I'm doing."

"Sort of like Kid knew what he was doing when he sent my father to the Never After instead of letting him try to obtain clear light?" Tsubaki spat acidly. Kid looked at Tsubaki in shock. As soft gasp fell from his lips.

"I didn't have a choice in that; his soul was torn out it and needed to heal. We still don't know where all the parts of it are."

"What do you mean you don't know where all the parts of him are? You're the grim reaper, how can he be missing from you?"

Kid leaned back against Maka and tried to explain. "His soul was torn out of him, Tsubaki; there were just shreds of it left. Whoever hurt him, this Baron Marrow or one of our loved ones that he's turned into the walking dead, mangled his soul. This doesn't happen normally Tsubaki. If my father had reaped him, he would have done the same thing I did. His soul has to heal first, or else it might be extinguished."

Tsubaki collapsed on the floor and Black Star wrapped his arms around her. "I don't understand! Why did it have to be my father?"

"Has something more happened?" Liz asked cautiously.

"Yeah, a lot more," Soul whispered softly, "Don't worry Tsubaki, we're going to get these assholes. For my brother, for your father, for Maka and Kid's mothers, and for Patty and Liz too. Whoever has been targeting all of us is going to pay big time. And I say from now on the gloves are off. If they're going to play dirty then were going to play dirty too. We need to use every power at our disposal."

Soul stared into Kid's eyes and gave him a knowing look. "And I mean every power."

Kid nodded, understanding what Soul was getting at. Everyone was hurt, not just Tsubaki. Everyone had been scarred in some way by this Gunter, who knew it would be hard for them to fight their own loved ones. After all, who knew your weakness better than your own parents? Your own siblings? Kid shuddered at the thought. They would need to use all their cunning and strength for the fight ahead of them. Stein was right; they needed to train before going after Gunter and the others. It would be necessary to test the new dynamics of the group and to push the limits to the max.

"Let's get this reap done," Kid whispered to Maka.

Maka snapped the link closed between herself and Kid, and watched the golden light surface around them out of nowhere. It was like the team had been standing in it the whole time but no one knew it was there. She saw the bright light fill the church and Kid led her back outside into the snow.

"It's best to never slip into reaper mode around other people. It scares them seeing you disappear and appear out of nowhere. Also, if they're slightly psychic like Patty or extremely pious they can see the robes form and know you for what you really are."

"Yeah I kind of figured that out already." Maka admitted.

Maka watched the light envelope them, her hair fluttering around her the same as Kid's did when they stepped into the amber glow. Kid's eyes danced with the color of fire. His mouth contorted into a gentle smile and made his delicate features even more handsome. Maka took a step closer to him and reached up for a kiss.

"What's that about?" Kid asked cautiously.

"You're beautiful. I mean as a man, you're just sort of beautiful."

Kid blushed. "Kind of an odd time to think about that."

Maka hushed him with another kiss. "Every time I see you step into the light I notice something new about you. It's like, well," Maka tried to find the right words, "It's like I can see you better. Like you're at your best. I can't really explain it with words."

Maka looked around at the grey world now faded in black and white. She released Kid's hand and began to make her way back. They passed through the solid wood doors of the synagogue and Maka looked over the men and women in the crowd before the coffin. Most of the men wore yarmulke and prayer shawls on and it dawned on her which religion the ghost would be.

"He's Jewish." Maka declared.

Kid smiled. "Do you know anything about the Jewish faith?"

"Other than that they put menorahs out at Hanukkah, nope not a thing."

"Okay, Judaism dictates that the body must not be embalmed and the blood and organs must stay intact. At all times you must have a shomerim, or guard present with the remains as a sign of respect. Jews believe that all people are descended from a single being, so taking a single life is like destroying the entire world and saving a single life is like saving the entire world. The Jewish faith doesn't view death as a tragedy even if the person is young, or it happens through unfortunate circumstances. Death is considered a natural state and as a means to God's plan. They also believe in the afterlife as a reward for those worthy of it."

"I need something to write all this stuff down in. I need to study!" Maka exclaimed.

"You'll learn it in time, don't worry. To this day I usually carry cheat sheets in my pocket. It's a good practice to keep one around in case you feel like you've forgotten something."

"Is that it or is there more?"

"There's more. In Judaism there are a lot of mourning practices, obviously I can't teach them all to you right now. You're going to see Jewish people that practice their faith have no fear or distaste of death. They believe mourning has two purposes to show respect for the dead and to comfort the living. "

"Is that why they are allowed to cry near the coffin?"

"Yes"

"It doesn't screw anything up does it? Crying near the body?" Maka asked anxiously.

"Were here aren't we? Remember, you need to put the faith you been brought up with aside. It's not comforting to the souls of the deceased if you have a different belief then them. Remember we practice everything. "

"Universalism. I get it."

"On a side note since the Jewish faith teaches not to be afraid of death you don't end up with a lot runners because of this."

"What's a runner?"

"It's a ghost that tries to flee from death, mainly us and literally you end up running after them to get their souls. Runners also can end up becoming hungry ghosts."

Maka walked up to the coffin and found that it was closed. "Oh crud, how am I going to know who the ghost is?"

"Jewish faith mandates the coffin remain closed so that enemies can't look on the body in its humbled state."

Maka looked around and couldn't see the ghost. "But the ghost! It's not like the last time, how am I suppose to find it?"

"Quit using your eyes and use your other senses. You have the stream right here, what do you know about the stream?"

Maka's mind flitted back the time she hauled Kid Stein and Spirit out of Jamaica and it occurred to her then. "I can piggy-back the stream to take me to the ghost. I don't need to walk around like this it will just take me there."

Kid smiled widely. "Good! You're learning quickly."

Maka relaxed her body and felt her way into the Grand Design. For some reason she wasn't afraid of it anymore, she felt it pass over her limbs like cobwebs. It crawled up her spine tickling her and her body began to move. The light around her jumped and pulled her away from the church, away from the town, and deep back into the forest and the night. She couldn't feel the cold around her, and her feet didn't make crunching noise into the snow. Instead she seemed to walk on top of it as if she weighed no more than the air. The sky was clear and she could see stars twinkling above her. The thick fir trees reached to the heavens but there was no moon to give her light. She heard something move beside her and she stared out into the dark. She peered back into the amber light and saw Kid was speeding toward her, but he hadn't made the noise she heard.

" És ön?" a voice asked.

"He just asked 'Who are you'?" Kid translated quietly.

Maka strained her eyes, peering through the light and noticed a short balding man standing out in the woods. As she looked at him more he became more defined. "Should I ask his name?"

"What would you normally do if you just met someone?"

Maka looked startled. "Tell him my name is Maka and I'm here to take him to the afterlife."

Kid spoke quickly to the ghost, 'Én nevét és Maka vagyok itt veszi maga az élet után.'

The ghost answered and walked up to her.

Kid listened and exchanged words with the ghost before repeating to Maka. "He has no problem going with you but he wants to know what you are."

Maka looked up him in alarm. "What do I tell him? I'm not a reaper or a Shinigami yet, officially."

"Typically I tell them I'm just a messenger or a courier for the all mighty."

What's the word for dead in Hungarian?

"halál"

"halál Miester" Maka repeated.

The ghost started laughing and began conversing back and forth with Kid, who must have explained things further because the ghost came up hugged her. Maka felt herself grow cold where the ghost touched her, as if all the warmth was being drained from her body.

The ghost smiled at her warmly. "What do I do now?" Maka asked, looking over the ghost's shoulder at Kid.

"Just like what you do with Soul, except you don't have to be violent. Place your hand over his eyes."

Maka moved her hand over the ghost's icy face. It felt like skin, cold clammy skin and she felt the warmth drain out of her even more.

"Place your other hand over the chest."

Maka place a hand over the ghost chest expecting it to feel solid as well. Instead it felt more like paper mache.

"Press your hand into his chest gently." Kid instructed.

Maka pushed her hand into the ghost and felt a popping sensation. Maka jumped back in fright and heard the ghost laugh again. Then it was gone and there was just a bright blue orb of light that burned like a gas fireplace. Suddenly it took off into the night and left a commit trail of blue light behind it.

"You did really well. Maybe next time don't jump when it turns into a soul."

"Maka blushed, "What do I do about the hourglass?"

"Good you remembered it! When I was young I had a habit of getting so excited about freeing the souls that I completely forgot about the hourglasses, Dad always had to send me back out again to collect them. I can't tell you how many times I had to wade through dirt in the cemeteries to pick up left behind hourglasses."

"Well what do we do now?"

"We go back to the coffin. You're going to either have to look into it by passing your body through it or you're going to have to dig through it blind. Since the Jewish faith dictates no one should see the body in the casket, you really should do it blind."

"It's going to feel squishy again isn't it?"

Kid laughed, "Yep, they always feel squishy. Well, unless they're cremated"

Kid leaped back into the stream and grabbed Maka's hand, pulling her along at last minute. She found herself standing back in front of the synagogue but the world was still grey.

"Go get your hourglass now."

Maka passed through the building again and walked up the main aisle, noticing that everyone seemed frozen in place. "Hey Kid-kun, why isn't there any purple light this time?"

"Because he was already dead when we got here."

"How come time seems to be paused like when Lord Death stops it?"

"When the moment of death isn't involved, time is paused. It allows you to do multiple reaps at a time. It's the only way you can clear out a whole country full of dead with one fell swoop. Of course, the soul birds give us some help with that too."

Maka stood before the coffin and closed her eyes. She reached her arm down through the casket and immediately regretted it. It felt the same as last time, squishy and gross. Her fingers found the wood of the hourglass and she pulled it free. She walked back down the isle of the synagogue, pivoted on her heel and smacked the hourglass into Kid's chest.

"I think you enjoy watching me squirm!"

Kid laughed, "You'll get used to it."

"Now we can go home and tell Dad you've already did you first solo reap."

"Is this mean I'm a Shinigami now?"

Kid laughed harder, "Hell no. I told you before, we're going to wait on that till the last possible moment or right after we get married."

Maka growled lightly. "What I don't get is what prevents other people from jumping into the light and traipsing into The Grey."

"The Grey? Oh you mean the ghost plane. That's not a bad name for it though. Kind of catchy."

Maka rolled her eyes. "Can your mother jump into that?"

"Yeah, why?" Kid replied.

"Think about it for a second. You and your dad were wondering how our enemies are moving around so easily without access to the mirror network. They're hitching a ride on the Grand Design."

Kid stared at her, "That's how they're moving around. Through the uncollected dead." Maka saw his expression turn to one of sheer anger." I can't allow that. They can't be allowed to exploit the natural order of the world."

Maka tugged on his sleeve, bringing him back to reality. "Come on, let's get everyone back and report this to Lord Death, this might be enough to encourage him to put your mother on the list. Maybe he'll take this more seriously now and send the whole academy hunting for them."

Kid buried his pulsing anger tightly inside himself. If he could just go ahead and take over the netherworld then none of this would be happening. He would be able to control the Grand Design and move the souls around with his own will instead of relying on his father's. He winced, feeling Maka's cold hand cross fingers with his.

"I know you're angry but save it for the battle ahead. There is nothing we can do right now. Just let it go."

Kid looked back over the statue like forms of the people at the funeral. Each held a different pose of mourning and he realized that Maka's words were true. At some point in your life you have to let go of all the grief and anger and move on. He left the Synagogue and Maka followed him outside, where both of them slid out of colorless world. Kid bent and picked up a small rock from the ground.

Maka watched Kid stroll back into the Synagogue and back to the Rabbi. In a thick Hungarian accent he told the rabbi "I know this is a bit early but it will be a while before my friends and I get back here. Can I leave this rock with you to add to his monument? When we come back we will each bring another."

The rabbi accepted the pebble, gave a gentle smile and put it in his pocket. Then went back to the grieving widow and began chanting scriptures once again.

"What was the rock for?" Maka whispered, knowing she had missed something because she wasn't able to understand Kid's words. _I need to study languages_, she told herself.

"The monuments to the dead are never complete. It's customary to bring a stone each time whenever you visit a gravesite. I explained to the Rabbi that it will be a while before we can get back here to pay our respects and to please add the stone to the grave in our stead."

"That's really kind of beautiful." Maka whispered softly, trying not to disturb the grieving.

"Go get the others. It's time to get them back to Death City."

Kid left the synagogue and Maka headed back down the hall to the rabbi's quarters. Soul was still standing near the wall as if no time had passed. Tsubaki was trying not to cry, Liz was comforting her and both Black Star and Patty were talking quietly.

"It's time to go." Maka said.

"I thought you had some big important reap to do? What's wrong, you chicken out or did you tell Kid to do it himself?" Black Star said sarcastically and Patty thumped him hard on the arm.

"I already did it. Our work here is done. Let's go." Maka replied.

"That fast?" Patty inquired.

"Time passes differently on the other side." Maka whispered.

Patty jumped forward and took Maka by the hand. "You've got to tell me all about it! I really want to know what happens when you die."

Maka suddenly understood how Kid felt all the times she had asked him to explain things. What could she tell Patty? _Nothing._ Maka thought to herself. Kid was entrusting her not to blab about the Grand Design and unless Kid told her it was; Maka could tell Patty absolutely nothing.

"We should get back, okay. We've found out some critical information about the enemy that Lord Death should know."

"Does that mean were going to Nether World? I'm finally going to get to visit the Never After!" Patty squealed.

"Yep!" Maka answered, happy for the change in topic.

"Oh hell no!" Liz shouted. "I am not going into the Never After and neither is..." Liz stopped mid sentence and bit her lip. "There is no other way home is there?" she asked, looking at her sister.

Maka wanted to say yes, but remembered she couldn't tell Liz about using postal codes for getting a mirror to take you anywhere you wanted to go. Maka sighed heavily. "Don't worry, the Never After isn't scary at all, it's basically just like a fun house."

"A fun house full of ghosts!" Liz cried.

Patty took one of Liz's hands and Maka the other.

"Come on Sis! Remember we're turning over a new leaf and you're going to be brave."

"I meant being brave talking to boys and asking them out, not this!" Liz whimpered.

The team trudged through the snow to the back of synagogue, where Spirit and Kid stood there and watched Sid make the leap through the mirror.

"Who's next?" Spirit called. He puffed on a cigarette happily, enjoying the shapes the smoke made as it fell from his lips.

Patty came bouncing forward still clinging to Liz's hand "We'll go!"

Maka and Patty pulled at Liz's hands, yanking her forward to keep her from retreating. Liz whined like a trapped animal and tried to run away but Maka and Patty anchored her to the ground.

"Please, I don't want to go in there! Can't I just fly home? Soul, you can fly! Can't you and Maka just fly me back to Nevada?"

"From Hungary yeah right it's hard enough flying Maka short distances. Besides I'm not a broom stick." Soul howled. He raised his foot and pressed down on Liz's ass, giving her a good push forward. Liz screamed and the three girls fell into the mirror.

Tsubaki gave a light smile and leapt in after them, followed by Soul and Black Star.

"You know those things will kill you." Kid commented, pointing to Spirit's cigarette.

"Get in the mirror, smart ass!"

Kid gave Spirit a goofy grin. "I'm just looking after your health, considering we'll be in-laws soon."

Spirit tossed the butt of the cigarette into the snow and lunged for Kid, who nimbly sidestepped, and Spirit fell head first through the tall mirror. Kid straddled the mirror, keeping one leg planted on the ground. He ran a fist full of snow over the mirror's surface erasing the fingerprints and the numbers written on it and stepped backward, diving down to the Never After.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 Version 5: Mon April 4 2011**

**Authors Note: Get Ready for a Massive UPDATE!**

Sorry for the long hiatus with no updates. I've been writing fast and furious, not just on this chapter but on earlier chapters that needed more oomph! I changed chapter five and six around and the cute ten page chapters turned into a thirty and chapter 6 turned int seventy five page. I've removed the Soul/hurt arm thing in favor of introducing Bad Guys earlier and seeding more of the plot for later chapters in the early ones. I took those of you who thought Soul was too mean into consideration. I also rewrote it because I wanted to make it evident early on where the story was going and clean up some continuity problems that were pointed out.

Generally, where I hated chapters five and six before, I am now happier with them. They still contain the original ten pages but have really been expanded on. I only wish allowed me to add chapters in-between existing chapters so 5 and 6 didn't have to be so dang long. I also put the other Soul Eater characters into the early half of the story, so it's not just Maka-Kid-Soul so much. Spirit, Patty, Black Star Liz, Kilik, Jacqueline, Ox all get to share the spotlight.

Currently I'm re-editing Chapter 7, which will probably get a massive makeover as well, to add to the plot, eliminate spelling /grammar issues and mostly because, damn it! I just want to fix it up.

Okay: current chapter stuff. We're steam rolling ahead with the plot. I actually have the rest of the story formatted out, so I can tell you the end is approaching. I don't want to give a chapter number because this chapter is being broken into three parts to cut it's length and keep the particular pacing I want. As I write the final chapters I might end up breaking them up if they get too long. I don't want to overload you when a bunch of action and emotional drama is going on.

The cool Note you get more Chapters! I have this and the next complete. I'll release them over the next couple of days If you haven't signed up for author alerts do so! Also comments are getting few and far between. I don't know what I'm doing wrong if you don't talk to me. I value your opinions or else I wouldn't have done a 75 rewrite of Chapter 6 and a 30 pg rewrite of five. I will continue to use your input, about ooc, trivial soul eater place and knowledge I might have neglected, long as it isn't too crazy or extreme and doesn't screw with the end of the story. I need some artistic liberties after all. So please comment. Love you all, and I apologize for the long author notes.

This chapter begins a little bit after the team fell through the mirror in chapter 23, so don't be confused and go looking for missing stuff. Just read on; it will make sense I promise you. It's intentionally set up this way and you will see why after you get into it more.

So to summarize.

New Chapter 5

New Chapter 6 Whole new content no abusive Soul.

New Chapter 24 Today

New Chapter 25 Tomorrow.

Chapter 7 is currently in rewrites Though 6 and 7 do still match up perfectly. Which might I add took hours to figure out how I was going to pull that off.

* * *

**Chapter 24: My Day In Hell**

Maka ran for the cliff face, scythe in hand. Beneath her, the ground began to shift, revealing a devilish trap straight out of an Indiana Jones movie.

"Watch it!" Soul hollered as Maka tripped at the edge of the pitfall. Kid who had been half way across the battle ground saw her go down, he dropped both guns and skated down the slanted floor to grab her. The abandoned, weapons began to slide past him toward the pit.

"No! Get Patty and Liz!" Maka screamed, trying to find a grip on the ever shifting terrain.

"This place is awful" Soul yelled through resonance "Everything keeps moving and changing."

"What did you expect it to be like? It is Hell after all." Maka called back as another swarm of angry souls pelted toward them.

Black Star leapt like a gazelle across the tops of pillars that rose from the ground, chopping at a series of ghosts with his sword. He carefully cart wheeled in mid air, landing gracefully. He tumbled around taking out a series of demon forming in the bowels of a pit that looked like it had no bottom, his ninja skills making it look effortless. While Kid took the opportunity to regained his weapons and began blasting at an imprisoned visage of evil.

"I don't know how much more we can take of this!" Liz cried through the resonance link.

Kid wiped the sweat from his brow with his dark sleeve and looked back over his should to noticed that Maka and Soul were, once again, having difficulties barely staying out of the way of the monsters rising up.

"Aniki you need to let me help her!" Patty begged, as her sister yelled at her, insisting that it was an inappropriate time to make a change in plans.

"Do it!" Kid screamed, tossing her in the air.

Patty immediately transformed and let loose with a pile drive on a group of demons. She leapt through another gnarl of wailing spirits toward Maka.

Liz transformed since Kid, due to the imbalanced weight in his hand, had stopped fighting. "What the hell are we going to do now?" she demanded.

Kid's eyes crackled with energy and he sent out a wave of Shinigami magic in all directions, evaporating any ghost or demon it touched.

"Just stay behind me and try not to get killed."

"God damn it, I'm buying a real gun if I live through this." Liz snarled. "'Let's go to Lord Deaths domain. It's not scary Liz, it's just like a fun house.'" She mimicked her sister, "Fun house my ass! When I get out of here I'm never coming back. Humans aren't supposed to see this kind of shit. It's scary and awful worse than any Clive Barker movie I've ever seen, and I hate Clive Barker."

A ghost snuck up behind her and she nailed it with her knee and shoved her fist into its face. "I hate ghosts! I hate demons! I hate creepy crawly supernatural bullshit!" Liz kept punching, letting her fury rise, "And most of all, I hate all of you for tossing me in here!"

Kid's focus shifted to Maka again and he was blindsided by a rather wet and drippy-looking spirit that coated him in ectoplasm.

"For the love of god, that is just disgusting! No wonder you're down here." Kid screeched. It was the second time he had been coated in gelatinous goo in the last so many hours. He hit the ghost with a round of magic in the shape of arrows, followed by a roundhouse kick where its ribs should be. His leg made contact with unearthly bone and he tore the spirit apart leaving nothing but its soul behind.

Kid stared through the smoke forming on the battlefield to see that had Patty finally made it across the to Maka. The girls began fighting in tandem, back to back.

"You're too slow, I'm here to help." Patty called, putting a sleeper hold on a flesh eating demon. She managed to pop the thing's head off and kicked it to Maka, sent the decapitated head into the pit of spikes she'd nearly fallen into moments before the movement mimicked a soccer player scoring a goal.

"I can't use a scythe and a gun at the same time." Maka rasped tiredly. Her hands were shaking and it felt like Soul weighed a million pounds. Her leg muscled burned and she fought to catch her breath. It felt like her heart was going to come out of her mouth as she coughed and she angrily spun the scythe at a nearby daemon. Haven vanquished the visage she used Soul to prop herself up, giving herself time to breathe and then spun the scythe around her body like a bo staff. Usually Soul and Maka were perfectly attuned to one another and functioned as one being during battle. But the anger, sadness and distrust of the past few weeks were keeping their souls further apart than they'd ever been. Without soul resonance, Maka was so tired she was barely functioning.

"Well then drop Soul. He's a scythe, he should be able to fight like Spirit" Patty pointed to Spirit who, like Black Star, was taking everything with ease. He hadn't even broken a sweat. He clawed at the demons of hell with bladed finger tips and flipped out of harm's way like a trapeze star.

"Your dad is really amazing." Patty yelled, watching the Death Scythe do a series of tumbles through a vein of evil beings.

"Yeah I guess he is. I never really noticed it before." Maka whispered too softly for anyone to hear.

"Let go of me if you're just going to stand there like an idiot." Soul cried as Maka triggered another booby trap and a series of large saw blades tore out of the ground. They burst through the red clay which coated the blades in thick red mud that looked like blood.

Luckily, Black Star happened to dodge by, flinging three zombies into the blades as he ran past. His eyes glowed with stars and he cackled insanely. "Is this all you got, Death God? This isn't even a work out for a big star like me."

"Don't bait him!" Kid screamed as guillotine blades began falling from the sky and flames ripped up from the ground.

"You want to play on another level of hell, little boy?" Death's voice echoed ominously, "I have other levels for you, each worse than the last. This is only the second level of hell. I can still up the stakes if you're not feeling the burn yet."

On cue sharp tendrils of power came jettisoning out of the cave ceiling and began sent the stalactites to the ground like oversize spears. Maka shrieked loudly and deflected one with a loud crack that sounded like a baseball hitting a bat.

Kid, who couldn't seem to peel his eyes off her, gulped and elbowed Black Star in the face as he came within range. "Shut up you idiot. Dad loves challenges. We don't need any more. It's been three hours already."

"This ain't no challenge." Black Star insisted spitting a stream of blood flowed from his now split lip.

"Maybe not for you, but look at Maka."

Black Star's eyes fell on Maka who was hard-pressed to keep Soul from getting caught in the guillotine blades and falling spikes.

"Drop him." Patty cried again, urging Maka to abandon the heavy scythe so she could move better.

Maka's long coat got caught on a series of spikes and a rapier edged ghost cut into her hand, causing her to drop the scythe momentarily. Rivets of blood beaded up from her open flesh and Soul transformed immediately and began slaying the things around Maka, while Patty took her free hand and returned to weapon form.

"It's okay, let's do this." Patty whispered. Maka's body lit up with a white light similar to a magnesium flair. Her skin illuminating the bloody red cave. Patty had formed into a sleek pearl handed gun encircled by a long metal chain. The chain snapped through anything that came within range cutting through masses of ghosts and spirits and nether beasts. Creating a protective bubble.

Kid let off another wave of Shinigami magic, backing up Spirit, who was chasing Liz. She ducked behind Soul who seemed to be intent on copying everything he saw Spirit do.

Maka felt a calmness fill her body and a lightness move into her muscle and into her stomach which moments before felt as she may wretch from pain. She whispered softly to Patty. "I'm ready."

Her skin dimmed and took on a soft white glow, illuminating the red rock and cliffs of the chamber. The pistol twisted on around her finger in Patty's signature style and Maka pushed out her grigori aura out, large pearl white wings unfolded from her back.

Within seconds Maka was gone from sight. She jumped over a saw blade rising from the floor and took out a nether beast who crawled from the shadows. A legion of ghosts launched an assault and Maka twisted in mid-air and blow them away. She landed lightly next to her father, spreading showers of light and ethereal bullets.

"That's my girls." Kid whispered to himself and smiled. He felt Maka's grigori wave overtake him and his mind became clear. "Liz change back!" Kid yelled, drunk on the grigori's calming power.

Liz paused to eye Kid suspiciously and a ghost took the opportunity to run it's long pointed tongue over her rear, leaving a trail of wet ectoplasm along the back of her jeans. Liz flew into the air, propelled by shock and disgust. "I'm changing I'm changing." she whimpered as she fell into Kid's opened hand. The single gun twisted into a black nine millimeter against Kid's hand and Kid twisted his grip and snapped off a series of shots. Holding the gun right side up felt odd but he was able to land a few of the shots. He used his free hand to grab the ghost behind him and throw it into the air before he filled it full of holes.

"No way! You're using just one weapon." Liz squealed through resonance.

"It's that damn wave Maka puts out. It's like a drug for me." Kid answered, running quickly to kick at a demon that was about to nail Black Star in the ribs.

"That's enough, I've seen all I needed to. Thank you Lord Death." Stein called out in the same booming voice Death had used. Bright lights flicked on through holes in the cave ceiling, blinding the team. They shielded their eyes, squinting in the sudden glare.

The blades retracted into the floor and the ghosts and unearthly visages retreated back away from the light into the darkness. A sloshing noise echoed in the cave as the battlefield was filled with light. Death walked out into the now brightly lit cavern, whose heavy red earth was cluttered with debris and gook left by the mobs.

"Wow that certainly was fun! Not very often I get to play with folks like that." Lord Death proclaimed in his jovial voice.

"That was just horrible, all of you." Stein barked angrily. "Maka what the hell was that? You dropped your weapon and you're moving as slow as a slug."

Patty transformed back from weapon form and stood in front of Maka. "Where were your eyes, dammit? Me and Maka rocked. Or didn't you see the huge set of wings she had when I was her weapon?"

Soul hurled an insult at Patty and Patty stuck her tongue out at him and pulled down her eyelid. "Just face it Soul, mine are bigger and better than yours."

Stein stepped in between Soul and Patty just as Soul lunged for her throat. "Calm down, the both of you. Patty that was an impressive display…an impressive display of stupidity. You're forgetting you're Kid's weapon. You just abandoned him and your sister."

Patty pouted as went back to Maka's side and wrapped an arm around her. "I thought we were good." she whispered to Maka.

"You were good. I sucked big time though." Maka whispered back, low enough so Stein wouldn't overhear her.

"Kid, your stance was all wrong. You need to pay attention to what you're doing instead of watching Maka so much. Your shooting had no control or precision, with or without Patty. And you won't have weapons if you keep dropping them the way you did. Black Star, you didn't have any technical problems, but you were only looking out for yourself." Stein growled. "You'll all fail miserably against Belle Morte if you can't perform chain resonance together as a team. All I saw was a bunch of haphazard, risky fighting. I've seen first year students do better than that."

Black Star gave a big thumbs up, happy to hear that he was the best of the worst. He gave a huge grin before setting into one of his rants. "I'm the big man! You all need try harder to be like me next time."

"If you go up against Kami and Belle like that you're going to wind up dead." Stein insisted.

"Stein's right." Kid mumbled dejectedly. "Everything is a mess."

"I don't know Kiddo, you finally got over your fear of being unbalanced and used one gun." Liz soothed, "I thought we did pretty good together for a first time thing."

"Pretty good won't cut it against my mother." Kid barked before storming out.

"What's wrong with him?" Liz asked as Kid stomped away.

"He's afraid." Maka whispered to her before following after Kid.

"The one guy that can't die is afraid, that's rich. What a wuss." Black Star smarted off and got kneed in the head by Patty.

"What did I tell you I was going to do to you if you keep talking about my Aniki that way?"

Strangely enough Black Star blushed. "Sorry Patty. You know, you hit really hard."

"If you say 'for a girl' I'm giving you another one." Patty threatened, balling up her fist.

Black Star looked at Patty's angry face and decided to quit while he was ahead.

"Did you find Blair yet?" Soul asked, concerned.

Blair peeked out from behind Death's robe in cat form and ran to Soul.

"Strange people came to the house while you were gone. Bu-tan was scared and hid." she mewed.

The cat transformed into a woman and she latched onto Soul, squishing his face against her huge breasts. "I should have known you would be the one worried about me. But if you ever scruff me and throw me out on the fire escape again I'm going to tell Maka about you and Tsubaki trying to make kittens."

Soul's face turned red and Tsubaki gasped in horror. Black Star's face went from confused to angry in a matter of seconds. He looked at Tsubaki in shock and took a few steps away from his weapon. "Making kittens? What the hell does she mean by that?"

Blair giggled and raised her hand to her mouth. "You know, making kittens. Fooling around. Getting it on."

Black Star jabbed a finger into Soul's chest, stabbing in each of the words. "You've been fooling around with Tsubaki?"

"What does it matter? The only person you care about is Maka!" Tsubaki shot off, annoyed.

"That's because at one point she was my best friend. I might as well be her older brother." Black Star screamed. "No wonder she dumped your ass, Soul. You're a lousy weapon and you're screwing around with my partner."

Soul gritted his teeth and snarled ferociously, "You take that back. I didn't do a thing with Tsubaki till after Maka dumped me."

"You were supposed to look out for her. I trusted you and now you're sneaking behind my back with Tsubaki. You got it in for me or something? I thought we were friends." Black Star shoved Soul, who landed on his rear and slid across the worn red clay of Hell's battlefield.

Soul picked himself up from the ground. "You know, maybe if you quit complimenting yourself long enough you would see what kind of a great girl you have at your side instead of looking at mine."

"Is that so? Last time I checked Maka was Kid's, not yours." Black Star taunted.

Soul's arm snapped into a sickle and he ran at Black Star. Spirit stepped in, separating the two just as Soul clipped the edge of Black Star's bangs.

"That's enough both of you. Soul, take the mirror over there and go back to the apartment. Black Star you go…er… that's right… you don't have a home to go home to so you'll have to go to Sid's. You all have school in a couple of hours and Lord Death is holding an assembly on Baron Marrow. You're all Spartoi; you're supposed to bring the other students confidence, and if you're all at each other's throats how the hell are you suppose to do that? The whole lot of you should be ashamed of yourselves. Go get cleaned up and think about who your real enemy is and how you're going to solve this mess."

The children gawked at Spirit; no one was use to him barking orders and none of them responded.

Spirit flipped his red bangs out of his eyes and furrowed his brow. "Why are you all still standing there? Move!"

Over Spirit's shoulder, Lord Death's mask changed from the polite jovial one to the sinister version. His glowing red eyes shone through the skeletal sockets. Dr. Stein threw away his cigarette and gave them a malicious and crazed grin that dripped with insanity and murder. All the kids gulped, took a step back from the three adults and scattered like rats in the direction of the mirrors that lead home.

Spirit didn't see them behind him and puffed up his chest, proud to have such an effect on the children. He turned around to look at Stein and Lord Death and found them looking up at the sky and fidgeting, pretending they hadn't done a thing.

"And you both said I'm not intimidating enough."

Stein bit his lip to keep from laughing, a low snicker escaping from between his teeth. Lord Death gave him a Shinigami Chop on the forehead and knocked the professor to the floor.

"Yes, very well done." Shinigami-sama complimented, reverting back to his normal happy self.

Stein slowly picked himself up off the ground. "I meant what I said before. They're not ready to face off against these adversaries. They're all too emotionally invested and their changing personal dynamics are getting in the way. Damn hormones. You should let team Fire and Thunder lead the mission."

Lord Death swallowed hard. "Fire and Thunder has had some casualties too. All of the members of the Spartoi have lost some one to the enemy. It was a devilish and vicious attempt to divide us."

"And it worked." Spirit complained quietly. "I still can't understand what Kami was doing with them in the first place. Was she captured, or did she go on her own? I keep waiting for her to come bounding in to say that she was spying and doing counter intelligence on the enemy."

"She's dead Spirit, there is no way that's not going to happen. She doesn't even have memories of your old life together or remember Maka." Stein said in a carefully neutral voice.

"And you're positive there's no way to turn her and the other victims into zombies like Sid? Zombies that still have free will?"

"Without a sample, I still don't even know what we're really dealing with yet. -Lord Death what do you plan to do?"

"I'm going to contact the other Death Scythes and explain the situation, and then I'm going to address the student body. If Belle and this Gunter fellow want a war, were going to give it to them. I only hope we can overpower them with sheer force of numbers. I don't have much faith in the Spartoi, considering the emotional stress they're all under. I just pray there won't be many casualties."

"And what about your son? Overall I'd say he's the most frightened of them all."

"He has good reason to be frightened. He remembers what Belle was like before she went insane, and he was the one she tried to drag down with her when she fell. If anything he has a better idea of what we're all getting into than even you do, Stein. You haven't seen Belle at her worst yet by far. I'd say this Baron Marrow is actually holding her back. Kid just needs time to come around, and for once he's not dealing with things on his own. Given time I'm sure my son will rise to the occasion."


	25. Chapter 25

**Authors: Notes**

This is another chapter that has a mature content tacked on to the end of it. Read it in the lemon section for those of you who like mature content can read it in the Forever In the Never After Lemon Sequence, which is being updated as a separate story. As always, lemons are optional; you don't have to read them to understand what the heck happened. For those who hate broken apart work the chapter will be posted in its entirety on my web site, which is you can get to from my profile.

One more thing: **Definitions.**

**Tanuki**- Japanese folk lore creature, often confused with a raccoon dog. Tanukis are raccoon demons that can morph into other things, and are popular lawn ornaments in Japan. Tanukis have huge gentalia that they use as weapons, according to a ancient Shinto lore. ...I can't tell you to much more or I will ruin it. Anyway I didn't pull this crud out of my rear. It's actually from a jump rope rhyme and in a couple of plays. Look it up on Wikipedia if you want more weird tanuki info.

**Grigori**- type of angel, or angel/human hybrid in Jewish text mentioned in the Kabala. Also in some religions Grigori are fallen angels. Got to love language when one word means a ton of different things to different religions. Maka is mentioned being a grigori in the manga I'm unsure if it was mentioned in the anime.

**Ecoplasam**- Ghost slime.

**Izanami no Mokoto** - Shinto death goddess. Also, a creation goddess who stabbed the world with a spear and made the islands of Japan.

**Izangi** - her husband. If you'd like more information on them, wiki them as well..

Remember I always use religion , history and weird cultural references in my writing. I'm not big on Mary Sue characters so I figure it's better to pull from cultural references and interesting historical figures. Enough of my ramblings… on with the story!

**Chapter 25: One on One**

Death the Kid looked out over the cliffs of the netherworld. Its' ice blue vortex twisted, engulfing an endless stream of souls. His hand rested on the Tanuki, stroking the dog-sized animal's back while the beast scratched its nose into the dirt and grubbed for maggots and worms.

"I figured I might find you here." Maka said quietly, falling onto the ground next to Kid. She patted the Tanuki on the head and it looked up with its muddy nose and licked the dirt from it.

Kid looked at the Tanuki with a soft expression and then over to Maka with wet eyes. "This is all my fault. All of it. If I could have collected more souls and controlled things better the enemy wouldn't be able to move around using the dead. Our mothers wouldn't be trying to kill us. I've caused dissention in the team. If I just would have manned up and taken over things from Dad none of this would be happening. If I hadn't screwed with your natural life maybe the Grand Design wouldn't be targeting you. You and Soul probably would be fighting better than ever and we would be chain resonating as a team without any issues whatsoever."

"I don't think any of that would have mattered, Kid. My mom has been gone for a long time and so has yours; who knows how long they've been zombies. As for the souls and you taking over, you can only do things so fast. It's like asking to grow up quicker and have everything right now; it just doesn't work that way. And maybe you're not ready for all those responsibilities yet. Maybe the lack of control you're complaining about is because physically your body knows it can't handle all that stuff yet. As far as screwing with the natural order my life, I'm really glad you did. I think I would have been dead by now if it wasn't for you. And as for Soul, well things were changing between me and Soul before you and I started dating. You need to go easy on yourself. But I want to know, honestly, is all this what's bothering you or are you afraid of facing your mother? She seemed, well…"

"Scary?"

"I was thinking more like crazy. Like Kishin crazy."

Kid snuffed and dried his eyes and applied pressure to his sinuses to stop the throbbing that had formed in his head. After he felt like he had control of his eyes he began. "That's because she is 'kishin crazy', maybe even crazier. Mom has spent a lot of time in Hell. You're Shinto-Buddhist."

"Yeah, but I fail to see what's that got do with anything."

"You ever heard the tale of Izanami-no-Mikoto? All religious mythology usually starts with some grain of truth. "

"Izanami was the creation goddess. The story goes that she and her husband Izanagi stabbed the earth with a spear and brought it into being. It's a Japanese creation story."

"Yes that's the first part of the story, but do you remember what happened after all that? Izanami died giving birth to her child, and Izanagi was so angry at her death that he decided to go into yomi, the lands of the dead, to find her. When he found her there were nothing but shadows around her. Pure black that id her appearance. Izanagi asked her to come home he took her hand and told her she would come."

Maka interrupted and tore into the story. "But Izanami told him she couldn't leave because she ate the fruit of the land of the dead. She was horrifying and he ran away from the site of her, sealing her in the netherworld with a huge rock he placed at the entrance. Your mom doesn't look like a rotting carcass and as much as your dad loves her, I seriously doubt he would ever flee from her."

"My mother died giving birth to me and because of her misdeeds as a reaper she wound up in hell. And not the one you saw today but one of the lower levels. The level that is nothing but black, where the air is so thick that you continually choke and can't breathe. Anyway, my dad went in to get her back out. Completely against the code of the Shinigami. We don't mess with Hell; we only can only alter things on the first two levels of it. "

"Where the hungry ghosts are."

"Exactly. Dad got her back out of it, but her mind was affected. From what little I understand, he did something to her with the lazarus and her flesh was healed. But her mind, well, she wasn't a stable person when she was alive and being in hell didn't improve that. She was okay at first. She promised Dad that she would stay here in the Never After with him and take care of me. That she would only do her duty as a reaper and then come back. Things were good for a while. But eventually she grew tired of it and started to stay away longer and longer. By this time my father had imprisoned the Kieshan and was trapped here. He was busy, so mother was seeing to my reaper training. I saw people die horribly at her hands and then she'd take me home and act like it never happened. One night I caught her torturing people that weren't meant to die. She was using her abilities in awful ways. She knew that I saw her and she chased me. She tore me up pretty good, but I just kept running. I don't know how, but I outran her and made it through a mirror. I ran straight back home to Dad and told him everything. My mother didn't come back after that; she was afraid my father would never let her back out again and might cast her back down to Hell. She was afraid of being sealed in here forever. Dad wouldn't send any of the Death Scythes after her, but I honestly can't say if was to protect them or her."

"So she teamed up with someone and told them how to use the Lazarus to bring people back to life just as she was brought back to life. Kid, we're not responsible for our parents' actions." Maka soothed gently.

"But all the same, she has to be stopped and I know it will come down to us to do it."

Maka rested her forehead against Kid's and she stroked the hair from his face, "It's going to be okay. I'm still confident that Stein will come up with a way to reverse all this. We can't just give up hope. All we need to do is have faith. Faith in ourselves, faith in those around us and faith in each other."

"You seem so confident, so at peace." Kid whispered before he crushed his mouth against Maka's. He kissed her deeply trying to make that confidence a part of him, tried to absorb it from her body with his. Kid broke off the kiss and nuzzled Maka's neck; she giggled from ticklishness and nearly crushed his head between her chin and her collar bone.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you right now?"

"Quit it." Maka giggled as Kid ran his hands down her sides. Her laughing faded into a hysterical wheeze as Kid dug under her ribs.

"I can't help myself." Kid said. Some of the pain lifted from his heart as he tickled her; "That laugh of yours is infectious; it just warms me all over." He ran his fingers over the bends of her knees and made Maka shriek with laughter. His golden eyes stared down into her emerald ones and he kissed her giggling mouth.

"I mean it though, I love you. I want it to be like this forever." Kid reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Maka looked at the mint colored box with the ivory ribbon and took it from Kid's hand. She leaned against his shoulder halfway pushing him over. "What's this?" she asked, confused.

Kid slid her farther away from the cliff's edge. The blue souls glittered around them, bobbing around at eye level interested. They danced around the cliffs like fireflies avoiding the streams of the vortex to watch.

"Open it." Kid urged.

Maka slid the ivory ribbon off the box, and looked at the small velvet black box inside tucked neatly inside it

"Huh. It's another box."

"Open that one too." Kid said, sweating a little. Having discussed wedding plans, it all felt more real now, and this was just one more step to solidify it. Holding the ring in his pocket for the entire day had been agony. Even while they were training it had made him feel nervous. Like he was carrying his heart in that little velvet box. Maka wasn't making things easier either; she didn't understand what he was trying to do and it made him half queasy. His palms were sweating like mad.

She snapped the velvet box open and stared, unblinking, at the contents. "Holy crap!"

"Is it too big? Do you not like it? It's too gaudy, isn't it? I insisted on the canary diamond even though the jeweler said the blue ones were in style because of some royal wedding hoopla."

Maka placed a finger against Kid's lips without looking up. She pulled the ring out of its box and stared at it. It didn't look real sitting in her hand. It was made of platinum, with gold carefully hidden in the mille graining that held three diamonds. The center diamond had a yellow tint and glowed like the sun while the other two shimmered with perfect white clarity. Golden wings held up the white diamonds, something you wouldn't even see unless you turned it upside down or looked at the ring straight on. The heavy band was engraved with symbols; Maka recognized the runes carefully hidden in the complicated braiding embossed in its surface.

"Do you like it?" Kid whispered, feeling the need to break the awkward silence.

"This is an engagement ring. A really beautiful engagement ring" Maka choked out.

Kid got up off the ground and tried to dust himself off. When he'd planned this moment, he hadn't envisioned himself covered in ectoplasm and dirt. He took a deep breath and got down on one knee.

"We didn't have time to do this right before, so I'm making up for it now. I don't want to propagate a rumor about our engagement; I want it to be for real." He stared into Maka's eyes and began. "Maka Albarn, ever since you came into my life you've filled it with happiness. You outshine any star or sun for me and your smile lights up my entire world. Please share your forever with me and accept this ring as a token of my love."

He took the ring and slipped it onto her finger, and kissed it. Maka tried to respond but it felt like there was a knot in her throat. She had read about these moments in books and seen it in movies, but she was unprepared for it to happen to her. She felt her whole body shake and she covered her heart with her hand. Unsatisfied with her inability to respond, she tackled Kid awkwardly to the ground and kissed him. She started with just one kiss but it turned into many, covering his entire face.

"That is a yes, right?" Kid laughed, feeling Maka squeeze him tighter and tighter.

Maka opened her mouth to say yes but still couldn't find her voice. Her tears dripped onto Kids face and she nodded her head fiercely, both embarrassed and lost for words. Slowly Kid lifted her off the ground and stood with her in his arms. The souls were buzzing around them this way and that looking, watching. It was curious; he had never seen them act this way before. There was a certain level of excitement in the way they whipped around. They circled him almost playfully as he headed back to the house. The tanuki trotted along behind them. It snapped at a few of the souls buzzing around and followed Kid and Maka inside.

"Guess you think you're getting some champagne since I gave her the ring and proposed the right way, huh?" he asked it. The tanuki stared back at him with intelligent eyes. It slapped its bushy tail against the floor, then its' long pointed nose went up in the air and it made a light barking noise.

"Who are you going to tell first?" Kid asked Maka.

"My dad, then Patty and then maybe Black Star."

"Not Tsubaki?"

"Patty's done a lot for me and I think she'll be the most excited."

Kid nodded in agreement. "Why Black Star though?"

"Because he's my oldest friend. I want to tell Soul before anybody else, but I'm afraid of the response I'm going to get from him."

"Best not to push it. He'll come around though."

"Yeah, I hope so. I miss him; I don't like all this fighting we've been doing."

Kid stole a kiss from the bundle in his arms._ I wonder how Black Star is going to take it?_ Kid thought to himself. Even that thought couldn't chase his happiness away though.

"I need a shower. You got slime all over me." Maka teased, "Wanna come with me?"

"Are you going to take your underwear off this time?"

"Yeah, but not the ring. The ring stays on."

"Absolutely perfect." Kid whispered. He walked into the kitchen glowing with happiness. All hell might be about to break loose, but right now he was more content than he'd ever been before. The Tanuki scrambled in ahead of him and lay down under the kitchen table.

Spirit and Stein looked up from the coffee pot, surprised at the change in Kid's demeanor. An hour ago he'd taken off upset and now he was carrying Spirit's daughter into the kitchen bridal-style and seemed all smiles.

Spirit immediately gravitated to Maka, looking for wounds, scratches or anything else that could have disabled her enough for Kid to be carrying her.

Stein raised an eyebrow at the sight, "I take it you're done chickening out now? You gave a real bad showing today in front of your teammates. We sent the rest of the kids home. "

Kid ignored him and looked only at Maka. She hopped down from his arms and bounded over to her father.

"Papa look! Look at my ring, isn't it beautiful?"

Spirit felt like the wind had been knocked out of him when he saw the big cluster of diamonds sitting on his baby's hand. He thumped down in the nearest chair, feeling like his legs would give out on him at any second.

"You proposed." Spirit gulped for air, gaping like a fish out of water. He stared at Kid and a mix of emotions raced through him; depression and concern finally giving way to panicked anger.

"You're awfully young to be getting married." Stein admonished. "I don't see how you two can let yourselves be distracted by frivolous behavior when we're about to take on such strong enemies.

Kid glared at Stein coldly. "Can't you just be happy for us without criticizing for a change? Yes I know we're young, but the fact of the matter is that Maka is still being hunted by the Grand Design. In essence, she's dying. You can't hear the seconds of her life slipping away like I can. The sound of the clock ticking away in your ears, telling you that the person you love most could be taken away from you between one second and the next. There will be casualties when we go up against my mother and this idiotic Baron person. I can't just stand back and wait to do this when everything is happy and calm. I won't take that chance when there's a possibility that one or both of us won't come back. If I wait it might be too late."

Maka shut her eyes and pushed herself against Kid's chest. She didn't have any words for Stein. She wasn't angry but it hadn't occurred to her that Kid could hear the ticking of her clock just as she had heard the clocks of the people they'd reaped. She hid her face, disappointed and a little sad. She had hoped her father would be excited and happy for her. Instead he sat lifelessly in a chair while Professor Stein scolded them.

Stein removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. "This isn't good. You have the worst timing ever. I just hope your selfish behavior doesn't put your whole team at risk." He snapped, pointing his finger In Kid's face.

The Tanuki pushed its way in front of Kid, clearly feeling the need to protect him from the anger in Stein's voice. It gave a loud chittering screech, followed by a low, dangerous-sounding hiss. The raccoon-like animal glared at Stein and began to swell. It beat its' tail against the floor, hissing and shrieking as it doubled in size.

Spirit, Kid and Maka stared in amazement, but Stein regarded it with cold scientific eyes.

"What is this?" He asked, circling the Tanuki with predatory gleam in his eyes. He rubbed the stubble on his chin and licked his lips hungrily.

"It's a Tanuki!" Kid yelled as the creature grew taller. Its' head was almost up to the ceiling now, and its belly shoved a couple of stainless steel carts across the floor. Food and chairs scattered everywhere.

"Aren't you an interesting specimen?" Stein told the bulbous animal. "Never seen an animal that could transmute its own body before. What did you call it again?"

Spirit looked at the young couple cautiously. "It's a Tanuki, right kids?"

Both of them nodded staring at the creature, which had gone from dog sized to filling at least a third of Lord Death's massive kitchen.

"In the old poem Tanukis were pretty aggressive." Spirit warned Stein, who ignored him. He yanked a black marker from his pocket and patted the Tanuki's large belly. "I wonder if it will stay this big once it's unconscious?"

"Maka, Kid no sudden movements okay?" Spirit advised.

"Maybe we should get it some more gin?" Maka offered.

Mrs. Winchester, Ehrich Wiesz and Reginald entered the kitchen behind Lord Death. Winchester started to scream when she saw the large animal and the mess it had made, but Erik and Reginald clamped their hands over her mouth.

"What in the name of PT Barnum is that?" Wiesz croaked.

"Mr. Wiesz, Mr. Reginald; I think the Tanuki might be angry. We didn't give it any gin today." Maka told them.

Reginald found that hilarious and began to chuckle. "You forgot to feed it? That wouldn't have caused all this. It's being protective. Looks like that fellow over there has done a right good job of pissing it off."

The Tanuki slapped its tail angrily and growled at Stein. Death's shoulders began to shake and he choked on repressed laughter. "Would you look at the size of that thing's balls? They're huge! I always wondered why all those Japanese statues show Tanukis with balls as big as their heads."

Kid gulped when he saw what his father was looking at. Death slapped his hand on the kitchen counter, cackling hysterically and the Tanuki looked everybody over, showing its wickedly sharp teeth. Spirit sensed impending danger slid away from Stein and in front of the kids, holding both arms out to protect Kid and Maka as much as possible.

"I just get a son-in-law and now I'm going to be eaten by a raccoon beast with giant balls. Could this day get any worse?"

"What are the odds?" Death howled, clutching his stomach. Stein uncapped the black marker and began marking the Tanuki's belly with it, making an educated guess as to where he should put the first incision. The huge animal looked down at Stein and howled in fury. Suddenly the beast swung around using its sack as a wrecking ball, knocking Stein into turned over kitchen carts, up against the refrigerator and then the. Taunuki jumped in the air and brought its' oversized genitalia straight down on Stein, pinning him to the floor.

"Gawf, get it off me!" Stein cried in horror.

Lord Death laughed even harder and beat his knee. "Oooh Stein, you are a riot! I should have visitors more often."

Spirit picked up Maka and Kid and hauled them toward the back door, "I told you provoking a Tanuki was a bad idea! If my Maka gets hurt….."

"Oh god, it's sweaty! And it's crushing me!" Stein squealed, "So help me I'm going to dissect you soon as I'm free!"

The Tanuki ground its huge family jewels against Stein's head, squishing his face against the floor and eliciting a girly scream from the professor.

Lord Death was paralyzed with laughter and Spirit was paralyzed with fear, leaving the ghosts to get things under control. Reginald unlocked the liquor cabinet and extracted two large bottles, one of peach schnapps and the other of malt liquor.

"Come on, Nutsy. Get off the strange doctor. Come to daddy." He coaxed.

"Nutsy?" Lord Death shrieked, "You named that Tanuki Nutsy? I love it."

Reginald held out the liquor bottles to the large raccoon-beast and it wagged its tail happily, nearly ripping Stein's legs off in the process. The tanuki got up and made its way to Reginald, its genitals dragging Stein across the kitchen floor until Weisz caught him by the feet and pulled him free.

"I think I may have just had a near death experience." Stein gasped as Weisz and Mrs. Winchester lifted him from the floor.

"Good god you reek." Wiesz complained, covering his nose, "I'm _dead_ and I can smell you!"

Reginald held out the bottle of malt liquor enticingly and the tanuki followed him out of the kitchen and into the mud room, shrinking as it went. Nutsy snapped the bottle from Reginald's hand and drank it down in one hefty gulp. Reginald ran outside, whistling, and the tanuki chased after him for the second bottle.

"Reginald is keeping that thing as a pet?" Lord Death gasped. "Hell, that thing is better than a three headed hound any day…Nutsy." He started giggling again and put his head down on the counter.

"That will teach you to try to dissect everything you see!" Spirit yelled at Stein in his best parental tone. He rubbed Maka and Kid's backs and glared at the scientist.

"Come on Doctor, let's go get you cleaned up." Mrs. Winchester prodded Stein out of the kitchen like a naughty child, clucking with disgust.

Spirit looked down at Maka and saw that whatever anxiety she'd had was gone. She hugged onto his waist and Kid just stared wide eyed and amazed, too shocked for words. Spirit stood beside him, suddenly realizing how tall the boy had gotten. Kid was almost seventeen, the same age Spirit had been when he married Kami. A year younger than he'd been when Maka was born. Suddenly Spirit remembered being too young and too stupid, and too much in love…and how everyone had been so very happy for them.

"Okay, honey you can show Papa your ring now."

Maka peeled herself off Spirit and swung around, giggling as she dangled her hand in front of her father.

"See it even has wings on it, holding up the diamonds." Spirit stared down at the ring, feeling a little melancholy as he flashed back to Kami; proudly showing off the diamond he'd spent weeks choosing for her.

"You did a good job, Kid. It's beautiful. Fit for my princess."

Kid grinned up at Spirit. "She's not going to stop being your daughter just because I proposed to her and we're getting married. I want to assure you that I have no intention of taking your little girl away from you. If anything, you're just gaining a bigger family."

Spirit eyes brimmed with tears. He yanked Maka and Kid back into his arms and began squeezing the life out of them.

"Is that true? Maka do you feel that way too?"

"Papa you're smothering me." Maka gasped.

Spirit let go, his whole body trembling as he waited for an answer from Maka. His eyes threatened to spill over as he waited nervously for Maka to catch her breath.

"It's true, Papa. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to become a Shinigami and act as a reaper but we're still family. You and I are blood. Nothing is going to change that." She stared over at Lord Death. "Family, all family, is important."

Spirit's heart sang and he spun around with both kids squashed in his arms again.

"Did you hear that Mort? You and I are going to be in-laws!"

Death removed his mask and walked over to his son, looking stern.

"You know, in my day it was proper for the young man to ask the girl's father before proposing."

Kid blanched and looked away from his father.

"Yeah I know I should have done that. But I was afraid..."

"Afraid Spirit would say no" Death scolded. "You know better, Kiddo."

"I know, I know." Kid blushed, embarrassed. He looked up at Spirit, "I'm sorry, sir."

"Hey go easy on him, Mort. Today's a happy day." Spirit laughed and ruffled Kid's hair. As penance for his poor etiquette, Kid stood there and let him do it.

"You're right, it is" Death agreed, "Let's celebrate while we can!" He fetched some crystal flutes from the dining room and popped the cork on a bottle of champagne. Spirit had never felt more like celebrating. _Maka's forgiven me at last. Please let this last longer than just today. _

They toasted the happy couple and shared a moment of perfect happiness. One moment, and then Lord Death put his arm around his son's shoulders and all of Spirit's complacency vanished. They looked exactly alike. Death's Sanzu lines were complete and Kid had his mother's golden eyes, but there was little else to set them apart. Death's face was, perhaps, a bit more careworn and gaunt but he still looked like a man in his twenties. Spirit realized that if they were compared, almost anyone would think that Spirit was the older of the two. Was this going to be Maka's fate? To stay a child forever and be forced to watch everyone she knew age and die in front of her. Lord Death had waited a thousand years before having his first child; if Maka followed suit Spirit would never live to see his grandchildren.

Death felt Spirit staring and noticed the frown on his face. He seemed deep in thought and his lips were tight and thin as he chewed on them.

"Something wrong, Spirit?" he asked over the rim of his champagne glass.

"You look so young." Spirit blurted out, "Younger than me."

"If my appearance makes you uncomfortable I could put the mask back on. It doesn't bother me, I'm used to wearing it all the time." Death sighed. "I hate the damn thing but traditions must be kept up. Besides I've found that most people become uncomfortable around someone who continues to look young while they age. It forces them to confront their mortality on a daily basis and plays hell with them. Hard for me, too, staying the same while everyone else changes." He realized that he'd killed the celebratory mood and tried to lighten things up.

"Things aren't so bad now that I've got Kid and they'll be even better with your beautiful daughter around!" He said, slapping Spirit on the back.

"My daughter is giving up her life so you and Kid will have company?"

"No, that's not it at all. Kid explained his intentions of changing her into a Shinigami to me a while back and when I agreed to it I felt, and still feel, that Maka needed to know exactly what that means. Your daughter is going to have the rare opportunity of staying young forever. She'll get to about twenty five, same as me, and then everything will just stop for her. Shell never get old, or worry about illness. She'll inherit the Shinigami immunity, and eventually she'll be called on like Kid is being called on by the Never After. A grigori soul embedded into the form of a reaper. A true angel of death."

Spirit shuddered. I'm still not convinced that this reaper business is the right choice for my Maka. I can handle the marriage, after all that's going to happen one day anyway. But a Shinigami, I'm still not entirely sure what that really means for her."

"It means she'll be a Demi-god."

Spirit exhaled loudly. "Buddhism teaches that life as a Demi-god is a pain ridden existence, one of obligation due to the massive powers they wield. Understand I'm a Scientologist and a Unitarian. That allows me to pick beliefs from many faiths, but the one core principal of all of them is to improve yourself. It seems like my daughter will be damned in some way. Unable to live a normal life. I'm glad that she's safe from the Grand Design here in the Never After, but she's taking on responsibilities that are going to rob her of her youth. What about college, and having a chance to experience the world? Maka you can marry Kid but I can't just sit back and watch you throw all this away, especially when I don't know what for. Why on earth did you decide all the sudden that you want to become a reaper; that your purpose in life was to become a Shinigami? I know you love Kid, but love can change. Death is forever."

Maka took her father's hand and looked up pleadingly at him, trying with all her might to make him understand.

"I want to help people and this is my way to do it. I'm going to graduate from the Academy soon and be a full blown meister. Soul will be taking an assignment as a Death Scythe, and I can either tag along, or start over. Or I could be a part of something bigger. Papa I've seen what happens to people when they die. Their souls are ripped out of their body by the Grand Design and it's painful and terrifying. Sometimes they're left wandering the earth not sure what they're doing or what they are even are anymore. They're frightened and confused and alone, and no one should have to go through that if there's an easier way to do it. They should all have a chance at re-incarnation, not be stuck wondering the earth as a ghost."

Kid coughed and Maka realize her mistake.

"Not just reincarnation but whatever their faiths say is on the other side of the vortex."

Spirit stared at her, annoyed and confused, "Vortex? What is she talking about Mort? I don't understand a lick of what she's saying."

Death looked back over his shoulder, ignoring Spirit's question. "You can come in! Quit lurking and eavesdropping; it's annoying."

Reginald, Ehrich Weisz and Mrs. Winchester glided back in the room, eager to participate in the conversation.

"It's a noble cause your daughter is undertaking. You probably wouldn't understand because you're not dead yet." Reginald told Spirit. He reached up and twisted his handle bar mustache thoughtfully. "I died out in the jungle in the middle of nowhere. I had no clue what had happened to me, I just remembered being sick and then all the sudden I was stuck in a foreign country with no one to communicate my death. Mrs. Winchester here spent her whole life creating a house to keep the spirits from finding her, designing rooms to trap them She hadn't considered the repercussions of dying in a place designed to trap spirits and became one of the trapped herself. And of course there's Ehrich here. He was enamored with the idea of becoming a spirit and then found out that after he was, he had no real way to communicate that there was such a thing to his millions of followers."

Wiesz snorted. "I still think I should be allowed to go to one of those séances held on my birthday. There would be a whole lot of folks that would understand that there is life after death if you do."

"Out of the question!" Kid and Lord Death yelled in tandem.

"Do you want the spiritualist movement to revive and have charlatans playing on the grieving again? You spent most of your life opposing such things as mediums. If you returned you'll just fuel a whole new movement of them." Death scolded.

Wiesz gulped. "No I don't want that. I guess the great Harry Houdini must continue to be dead. It's too bad; it would have been my greatest trick."

Maka slapped her forehead. "Ehrich Wiesz -Harry Houdini why didn't I put that together? I actually read a biography about you. God, I'm such a dolt!"

Wiesz gave her a huge grin. "So you have heard of me! I knew there couldn't be a person alive who hasn't heard of Harry Houdini!"

Death gave an exasperated huff. "Lose the ego and you might be able to move on, and quit being a hungry ghost. How many times do I have to spell it out for you?"

"It's been at least a hundred," Mrs. Winchester sang happily. "He'll never learn, but that's what you get form employing no good carnies! You know, some of my best friends were mediums when I was alive."

Lord Death's tone grew grouchy. "You see what I put up with? All day long, ghosts whining and bickering. I'd give my back teeth to do some field work again. Heck I'd even be happy chasing down a few runners. Anything to break the monotony of the three stooges here. They're the most thick-headed ghosts I've ever encountered. Each of one of them have been here over a hundred years."

Mrs. Winchesters nostrils flared. "Who would make your tea and iron your sheets if I was gone, you old fuddy-duddy? You wouldn't last two days taking care of this place by yourself. You best be glad your son visits so often to make you shave and bathe or you'd have mushrooms growing from your ears, and hair and beard as long as Rip Van Winkle."

Maka giggled as she watched the ghost berate Lord Death, who sank farther and farther into a kitchen chair. Spirit was getting into it too; arguing about Shinigami magic and the fact Maka should have no part of it. Death clutched his head.

Kid took Maka's elbow and took her aside. "Why don't we get out of here while they're all distracted? You leave first so your dad doesn't get suspicious." He whispered in her ear softly.

Maka looked at him blankly. "What are we doing again?"

Kids reached down and pinched her butt, "We were going to go celebrate." Kid whispered playfully "You remember, you wanted to go get cleaned up?"

"Oh!" Maka recalled, finally catching his drift. She grinned at him and exited the kitchen, while Kid made his way through the fray to his father.

"Dad, is it okay if I use the new shower you put in?"

"I don't care what you do!" Death growled, taking his anger out on his son. He turned back to his argument with Spirit while trying to ignore the banter of the ghosts. Spirit continued to hold with his no-Shinigami policy, yelling to be heard over the din.

"Thanks a lot Pop! I'll make sure to clean it up when I'm done."

"Whatever. Go do IT and try not to drown," Death muttered, waving his hand in dismissal and not looking away from the ghosts or the angry Death Scythe.

Kid jumped up and clicked his heels as he scurried from the kitchen. He peered at Maka who was leaning against the wall and took her hand. "Come on we're going to use the new room!"

"New room?" Maka asked squeezing Kids hands and swinging it as she walked beside him down the hall.

"Yeah, to 'celebrate'! You're going to love it!" Kid answered suggestively.

**Those Craving Adult Content go read it in the mature section of the fic. Under the Forever in The Never After Lemon Section. **


	26. Chapter 26

Edited Tuesday May 3 2011 3:23 PM

**Authors Notes**: Ok new chapter next Tuesday Chapter 1-7 were edited clean I'll be working on eight next. Hey I have a small polling question. Who do you think is more scary so far. Kid's mom, Kami, Gunter, Thompson sisters Mom or Souls Brother, Lord Death?

**Chapter 26: The End of "Big Star."**

* * *

Black Star thought the gallery was slightly unnerving. Mirrors of different shapes and sizes hung helter-skelter over the walls, their frames ranging from sleek black wood to ornate gilded gold. There were several ladders available for use with the models that were higher off the ground, but they didn't even come close to reaching the ones that hung from the three-story vaulted ceiling on wires. Every movement was reflected and repeated around the room a thousand times over and gave potential adversaries too many places to hide. The fun house effect reminded Black Star of the final fight scene in _Enter the Dragon _and he jumped every time somebody moved. But something else in the room made him feel even more uncomfortable than the mirrors did.

Soul was flirting with Tsubaki; not even trying to hide it now. His feet slid around the floor in nervous patterns and Tsubaki rocked back and forth on the heels of her cream colored boots. She gave Black Star the impression that she was flattered but slightly annoyed, and she kept giving her meister nervous glances.

Black Star leaned on a glass display case and gazed into Tsubaki's eyes from across the room. The defeat in his expression was reflected on Tsubaki's face for an instant before she turned back to acknowledge whatever Soul had been telling her. Black Star grunted in disapproval and let his forehead rest on the light-warmed glass of the display case while he examined the rather gruesome crystal skulls housed inside it. No wonder Kid was a weirdo. Growing up in a place like this would make anybody crazy.

"Nice choice of art." Black Star snorted. He gritted his teeth as Soul followed Tsubaki through a mirror on the far side of the room. Frankly, he hated waiting around. Spirit had stuck his head in earlier, just to make sure they weren't killing each other, but he'd wandered off before telling Black Star which mirror would get him back to Death City. Black Star yanked on Menace's leash and the goat bleated at him loudly, twisting its head around and fighting the spiked collar it was trying to chew on.

"So cute!" Patty squealed leading Liz over by the hand. She kneeled beside the goat and rubbed the short coarse hair on its forehead.

A ghost shot into the room and began dusting the mirrors to Black Star surprise and Menaces too, because the goat took a few steps away, frightened, and backed into Liz's long legs and yelped.

"Yeah I know Menace, I don't like it either." Liz commiserated, "Hurry it up already! I want to go home!" She grabbed the back of Black Star's neck and pushed him toward a wide mirror that protruded out behind two long ones.

"Patty this is the one right? The one that will get us home?" she whimpered, fidgeting and putting a death grip on Black Star's neck as the ghost floated up and dusted a frame beside them.

"Looks like the size of the one in the billiard room. I think it will work. Spirit said only thing we needed to do was find a near match and look at the image on the other side after writing the number on the glass."

"Hey, where are you taking me?" Black Star asked cautiously. Frankly he didn't care where he was going as long as he didn't have to stand around waiting. One place was just as good as another to sulk, and he preferred to do it somewhere else where he didn't have to watch himself in all those stupid mirrors.

Liz tapped her foot against the terrazzo tile as Patty wrote a number on the wide mirror. "From what I hear you don't have a house left after what Spirit and Stein did to it. So that means you either crash at Soul's or over at our place."

Black Star watched as the mirror whirred to life with a ticking noise that reminded him of the sound a rollercoaster makes as it pulls you up the first hill.

"It's no big deal. I can stay with Sid. He's like my old man. Besides I could use someone to talk to right now."

A look of maternal worry flashed across Liz's face. She glanced at Black Star and back to the ghost and Black Star could have sworn he saw a ripple of fear raise from her worn boots to her cowboy hat.

"Enough talking. I just want to get out of this hellhole. Freaking ghosts are everywhere and the whole house is staffed with undead. So move your damn ass." Liz kicked Black Star through the mirror and dragged Patty and the goat behind her.

It took less than a second for them stumble into The Gallows billiard room. "Thank god! Right mirror on the first try!"

"Way to go, sis." Patty cheered, waving Menace's floppy ears with her fingertips.

"He probably needs to go potty." Black Star grumbled tiredly.

Patty snapped up the leash from Liz's hand and headed outside. "I'll walk the goat, you comfort Doofus."

Liz rolled her eyes at Patty and flopped onto a barstool exhausted. "Damn, she stays mad forever."

Black Star looked pitiful."She's mad at me too?"

"No, I didn't mean it that way. Patty is just really over protective of Kid. After the Noah thing we both are."

"And she doesn't like it because I used to have a thing for Maka." Black Star muttered darkly.

"Well, yeah," Liz said collapsing onto a stool at the bar. She looked at the bar lustfully, hoping there might be a bottle that Kid had missed, but it was empty.

"Damn it what's the good of having a bar with no booze in it?" Liz complained.

"You drink?" Black Star asked, trying to make small talk. He dropped on to a green leather barstool, bellied up to the bar and rested his chin on his hand.

"Just a little here and there. I'm not a lush or anything, but when things get a little too crazy I like to have a beer. A cigarette too." Liz whispered under her breath so even Black Star couldn't hear her. It was a embarrassing habit she had picked up from her mother. It had been broken for years but right now she would just about kill for a cigarette after what she had been through lately.

"I've never had beer." Black Star told her. "Actually I've never drunk anything alcoholic before."

"You want a beer? There some in the kitchen if Kid hasn't poured them all out."

Black Star stared at the pool table for a moment before before answering. "Yeah, what the hell right? The whole world looks like it's coming to an end; one beer can't hurt. Do you play pool?"

Liz smiled brightly. "Do I ever, I grew up in bars so I'm pretty good at it! You know how to play?"

"Yeah Sid and Spirit showed me how."

"Cool I'll get the beer, you rack 'em up."

Liz trotted away and Black Star looked over the room. Five windows on the left wall overlooked the cemetery. Heavy brown leather furniture and rich mahogany walls. It was a man's room but it hardly looked like Kid's taste. He had a penchant for modern looking things, usually black and white. This room must have been left over room from whoever had lived here before. A wet bar directly in front of a church and a cemetery. Definitely some kind of message there, but Black Star couldn't fathom what.

He rolled the balls on the pool table, clanking them into one another before racking them up. The pool table was a fancy one. Cherry red felt and ebony legs carved with Death City's famous skull motif. It kind of clashed with the green leather on the barstools and made for a slightly evil Christmas motif but all in all Black Star liked the room. It felt warm and slightly more normal than the rest of the gallows.

Liz returned and grabbed a pool cue from the stand. She tossed Black Star a bottle of beer which he caught in mid air.

"I'll get the bottle opener." Black Star offered.

Liz rested the bottle's cap on the pool table's wooden edge and smacked her hand against it, popping it off. She handed the open one to Black Star and proceeded to open the other.

"I use to work in a bar, I don't need 'em. Besides Kid threw it away thinking it would solve the problem."

"He pretty bossy aint he? He doesn't like you drinking or thinking too much for yourself does he?"

"That aint it, Kid is a stickler for rules. He wouldn't have a problem with it if I was twenty one but he has an unrealistic picture of the world. Sometimes he forgets that I'm older than the rest of you and frankly he doesn't understand some rules are just made to be broken." Liz took a sip from her bottle. "He actually was so sheltered he never knew most teens have under age drunk at least once."

Black Star shook his head in disapproval and took a sip from the bottle and decided he didn't like it. It tasted like raw bread dough to him. He watched Liz take a hefty swig so he took another gulp and felt a little less focused. His chest wasn't feeling so bad anymore either. The crushing feeling was moving away down to his toes.

"I never drank before because I was always afraid it would dull my senses, the idea of a drunk ninja seems stupid to me."

"No drunken master for you then?" Liz laughed.

"Nope that was a good movie though, I just know I'm not capable of that style of fighting requires faking out your opponent too much and usually I give too much away with my facial expressions and this big mouth of mine."

Black Star took the triangle off the pool balls and laid in the first shot. He sent the balls scattering, sinking the solid purple one into the side pocket.

Black Star lined up the yellow ball for his second shot and noticed Liz watching him. "I'd say I agree with you there's a time for everything it's just certain people get pushed to that place farther and faster than others. Kid's lead a sheltered life and so has Maka. They still think rules solve everything."

"Maka wouldn't drink because she knows her old man would kill her if she tried." Black Star countered, rubbing his nose and getting blue chalk on it.

"Maka...please, Spirit lets her do anything. He's one of those parents who are so enamored with their own child that she can do no wrong."

"Not on that kind of stuff. Besides you only know Spirit A.K. He was a lot stricter in the B.K days."

Black Star missed the yellow ball and Liz took her turn.

"A.K? B.K? What are you talking about?" Her stick clacked against the green striped ball and sunk it into the pocket.

"After Kami left and Before Kami left. Spirit was a totally different guy back then."

"What, you mean he wasn't a drunken lech?"

"No he was still that, but he used to be more confident. He and Kami yelled a lot, but Spirit loved her so much it was sickening. He was always a womanizer but he didn't start cheating till shit started getting bad between the two of them. Can't imagine what's going through his mind right now seeing her again like that. As a team were going to have to keep a close eye on Maka, to make sure she doesn't go running back to her undead mommy."

Black Star saw Menace wander in without her leash on and looked around for Patty. Liz took the opportunity to lean over the table and sink two more balls with one strike. "Patty! You have a good walk with the goat or did it run you into the ground?"

Patty came in with blankets and a pillow. She tossed them on one of the two brown leather sofas in front of the TV and the goat jumped up on the couch. "We had a good walk and Menace did her business." She began building a nest of blankets around the goat. The goat was enjoying the royal treatment and raised her neck so Patty could tuck it in and scratch along the curl of its beard.

"What do goats eat anyway?"

"Grains, Vegetables, Fruit."

Patty picked up Liz's beer bottle and started feeding it to the goat as if it were a baby bottle. The goat wrapped its lips around the glass bottle and began to suck down the beer, nearly tearing it from Pattys hand. Patty gigged in delight, "That's a good girl, you drink your grains."

"Hey!-Well thanks a lot Patty that was my last bottle!" Liz screeched in annoyance. Liz flipped her blond hair out of the way and scuffed the pool stick on the table nearly missing her shot.

Black Stark laughed a bit. He handed his bottle over to Liz. "Go ahead and have mine; I don't like it much."

Liz smiled at him happily and took a healthy swig. She missed the shot she was going for and went and sat down beside Menace.

"You're going to get that goat drunk." She told Patty.

"Off a half a beer? I don't think so." Patty sang amused.

Liz scratched her arms and kicked off her boots, stretching her legs and toes. "You guys hungry, you want some real food?"

"I'm hungry! I'm always hungry. Besides I haven't eaten anything since the night before last." Black Star answered.

"I'll go make us some grub. Patty, will you finish the game for me? We're ahead so you should be able to win."

Patty went over to the rack and selected a smaller pool cue she picked it up re-chalked it and stretched her arms and back against it. She dusted her hands with more chalk and narrowed her eyes at Black Star.

"You do realize I'm going to wipe the floor with you, don't you?"

Black Star didn't rise to the challenge. "Go ahead. Your sister was doing a good job of it already."

He picked up the beer bottle Menace had discarded and placed it on the coffee table. He snuggled up with the goat while she nuzzled and licked him.

Patty stared at Black Star with her jaw open. He looked defeated, his eyes turned down and he tried to smooth down his spiky blue hair with no luck.

"What, no 'I'm a Big Star and you're playing with a pro' monologue?" she asked.

"I don't feel like such a big shot tonight. It seems like everything I do lately just pisses people off. Hell, you're mad at me and I'm not even sure what I did to you."

Patty tried to remember what had made her angry a couple days ago but couldn't. The only thing that was making her angry right now was Gunter, and she wanted some special time with him to carve a payback out of his flesh.

"I'm not angry with you. You annoy me some times picking on Aniki and I don't want you getting in between him and Maka, but overall I'm not pissed at you anymore."

"Do you really think they're a good couple? Maka and Kid?"

"Yeah I do. I think Maka is the only person who can balance Kid out. She gets him. And she understands all the crazy netherworld shit and it doesn't scare her. Though I can see Maka with a ton of other people, I really can't see Kid with anyone but her."

Black Star nodded accepting her answer. He leaned back on the leather sofa next to the goat as Patty shot another ball in. "I guess I better get used to not being seen, then."

Patty's head shot up in confusion. Black star was slumped over, his hands dangling between his knees. He didn't bother to look up.

"What do you mean by that?" Patty questioned softly.

"Maka and me, we were close once. I was her Big Star. Her big brother in a way. She used to call me that too, her 'Big Star'. She was the only person that understood me, and then we had a falling out and she never looked at me the same way again. She keeps seeing all the stupid things I do and not the things I'm trying to have her see. Sometimes I shout and shout and she doesn't even look at me. I swear, I hate being in the background! It's not my fault I can't communicate like a normal human being. I just don't know how to express how I feel." Black Star ripped at his blue hair." Damn it! I just wish I could keep my mouth shut some times and not come off like a complete moron but the words just fly out every time I get nervous or start feeling ignored."

"You mean all that stuff you say just comes out without you thinking about it? It just shoots outta your mouth like diarrhea whether you want it to or not?"

"Well yeah. I don't intentionally try to make an ass out of myself. I guess it's my way of making sure I'm noticed at all. "

Patty considered his words. Black Star was overcompensating for the fear that no one would see him, but when he was noticed it was always as some creepy super egoist and not in the way he wanted. She could relate to that entirely too well. She knew what it was like to feel like a loser and try to overcompensate for it. She had problems speaking in front of other people, choosing the wrong words and feeling completely backward after she said them. For half of her life she had let her sister talk for her just for that reason.

Patty looked away from the pool table and back to Black Star. "I know how you feel, about being in the background and being afraid of no one seeing you and what it's like to spit out all the wrong things at the wrong time." she said at last, "Believe me, Maka knows that you're there. You might not be her big brother who can do no wrong anymore but she definitely values your opinion."

Black Star snorted and his voice rumbled in his chest. "You know, I figured if I couldn't be there for her anymore at least Soul would be. I thought he was my best friend and then he pulls this shit with Tsubaki."

"Wait, you're not mad at Tsubaki?"

Black Star choked back a sob "No I can't be mad at her. I knew that it would only be a matter of time till she got sick of me. Tsubaki is awesome; I just want her to be happy. It just pisses me off that my best friend would go after her. The one I had lined up for Maka. It's like all those years of keeping my feelings in check and trying so hard to push Maka and Soul together were a complete waste of time. I'm mad at Soul but now I'm madder at myself. I don't know what I was thinking."

Patty laid the pool cue down and began rubbing Black Star's back. "It's okay. I know it's a shock. I'm just glad Maka wasn't there. She and Tsubaki are close; it probably would be as big a shock to her as it was to you."

"Yeah, good thing she wasn't there." Black Star whimpered. He put one arm around Menace and the other around Patty and began sobbing harder. "I don't know how I'm going to break it to her. She's mad enough at Soul as it is and I don't want her to be mad at Tsubaki too."

"Maybe you shouldn't be the one that tells her. Maybe you should let Soul and Tsubaki tell her. It's their business, not yours. Maybe Maka won't even care. After all she has my brother now and she might be glad that Soul is moving on."

Black Star swallowed hard. "Oh trust me, she'll care alright. Even if she does have a crush on Kid she'll be upset, because she had a crush on Soul first, and you're always a little bit bitter when you see one of your exes with someone else."

"You speaking from experience now?"

"Yep. I wonder what the hell she and Kid are doing right now? We're all supposed to be getting ready for the assembly and they still haven't come home."

Liz wandered back into the billiard room with a platter of chicken strips and waffles, pausing at the door to take in the awkward moment. Black Star was hugging Patty and Menace, who was trying to lick both their faces at the same time. She watched the ninja try to reel in his emotions as Patty did her best to comfort him.

He looked up at Liz and then back at Patty. "We cool?' He whispered.

"Yeah we're cool." Patty confirmed. She shook Black Star off and went to examine Liz's platter.

"Chicken and waffles? You must be homesick."

"Yeah, well these are all frozen. I doubt they'll be as good as the ones we had in Harlem when we were kids"

"What's a Harlem?" Black Star asked, taking a seat at the bar.

"Harlem is by Brooklyn in New York City. We used to take the subway real late at night and go there for breakfast. There was this restaurant there called Wells and they served the best chicken and waffles."

Liz dumped honey and maple syrup all over everything on the platter and the three of them ate in silence for a while.

"Wonder if Kid would let us use the mirror network to hop around on our days off for something other than tracking down a Kieshan egg or chasing after a renegade soul. I'd like to see New York. "

He saw sudden change in Liz and Patty; they looked ready to talk him to death.

"New York is great. We have restaurants open all day and night and you can shop about just every hour of the day. Unlike here, where the city shuts down around seven and you have to run to Reno or Lake Tahoe for anything good. You can get just about everywhere on the subway, and there's so much to do. Free concerts, city wide runs; Hell just staring at the lights and the big television in Times Square is a blast. The best thing is you can see some great shows for around five bucks if you wait to the very last minute and buy tickets at the check in booth. Patty and I got to see a lot of funny comedians that way. Really big name singers, too."

"I liked Gallagher the best!" Patty giggled. "We got to sit right up front on that one and we ended up coated in watermelon and shmutz."

"I thought Robin Williams was better." Liz replied, but she let it drop and Patty enthusiastically explained who Gallagher was and what he did on stage.

"So you mean to tell me there's a guy in New York that gets paid to smash fruit with a sledgehammer? Before I die I got to see this," Black Star mumbled, baffled. "He gets paid to smash fruit with a sledgehammer. Hell I'd do that for free."

Liz was full and decided to leave the two alone. Patty was chatting on her own, and frankly she felt awkward with the two younger kids. Black Star was nearly shoveling food in his mouth and Patty was doing the same. This was normal for her sister but it seemed a little odd for Black Star._ Wait, didn't he do the same thing the last time he was upset? Maybe he's some sort of nervous eater._ She headed upstairs to grab one of Kid's Spartoi uniforms for Black Star and then got her own Spartoi uniform from her closet. The school assembly was going to start soon and she'd be damned if she didn't look her best standing on stage to support Lord Death in front of the entire school.

She pulled out the blue skirt and decided not to roll up the waist to make it shorter today. Patty would want to wear hers short and Liz figured it would be a small way for the two to differentiate their clothing. She slid on her sailor's blouse and proceeded to do her hair. She had just put on the base coat for her make up when Lord Death's face filled her vanity mirror. She shrieked and flung her whole body away from the makeup table.

"EEaagh! Jesus Lord Death, don't do that; you scared me." she screeched, dropping her mascara.

"I need clothes for Kid again. Can you get them?"

"This is turning into a habit. He should just keep some of his stuff there in the netherworld if he's going to stay over so much. I guess you'll need something for Maka too."

" No, Spirit went to get her uniform."

Liz stomped out of her bedroom and Death followed her down the hall. She could see his image in every reflective surface darting from one place to the next. It was creepy, but she didn't tell him that. She rifled through Kid's drawers, got out the necessities and shot a pair of black boxer briefs to Lord Death, using the elastic as a slingshot.

"Okay, shirt shoes, tie, undershirt, underwear, socks, and pants. Am I missing anything?"

"Yes, there should be a black silk tie a jeweled reaper tie clip and matching cuff links in his jewelry box. Oh, and there should be a pocket watch."

Liz opened the box where Kid kept his skull pins and bolo ties and found the items all together in a black satin box, neatly organized.

"I've never seen Kid wear any of this."

"They were mine and the pocket watch was his grandfather's. He only wears them on special occasions. He's afraid he'll lose them."

"Is there some kind of special occasion, I don't know about? He's getting awfully dressed up for an assembly."

"I'm pretty sure there's going to be some exciting news later on."

"Is that Lord Death on the mirror? Does he need more of Kiddo's clothes?" Patty asked, sticking her head in the door.

"I already got them." Liz said as Lord Death reached through the mirror and took the pile from her.

Liz shivered. It reminded her too much of the urban myth where someone said 'Bloody Mary' three times and she would reach through the mirror and lop their head off. Lord Death smiled and bowed on the other side of the mirror and it went back to normal.

Liz and Patty headed back to their room and found Black Star waiting in the hall. Liz went back to her makeup while Patty got dressed and tossed Kid's spare uniform out to Black Star.

"It's going to be too long for you in the sleeves and legs." Patty giggled as Black Star shamelessly began changing in the hall. He had no modesty at all, hopping into the pants with his blue and yellow star boxers showing. He knotted them around his waist with the belt and rolled up the sleeves and pant legs.

"I hate this uniform. The cuffs are too big and I like my clothes baggy." He fumbled with the shirt collar, "Never noticed how tall Kid was. Guess that makes your sister a giant."

Patty giggled. "Don't say that in front of her, she'd hit the roof. She has this crazy idea that petites are pretty and she's self conscious about her height."

Black Star only nodded. Patty handed him the tie but he couldn't tie it. He slung the thing on the floor irritated. "I can't do this, Tsubaki usually..."

Patty picked up the tie and wrapped it through his collar around his neck and twisted it together in a Windsor knot. "It's all right, me and Sis wear them all the time, I'm pretty good at it." She pushed the knot against Black Star's throat, choking him a bit. Black Star loosened it and let it hang haphazardly down his shirt front.

"What do you think Lord Death is going to talk about at the assembly?"

"Hopefully not about how bad we've been screwing up lately." Patty worried. "I hope this is just going to be an address like we had for Operation Brew. Telling the school we have a new enemy and to be vigilant."

Liz finally appeared, coated in makeup. She glittered with jewelry that Kid had given her over the years as presents and bribes.

"Jeeze it's an assembly not the Grammys. What's with all the make up?" Black Star asked.

"Sis is on the prowl." Patty snickered. "She's decided her new quest in life is looking for a man."

Black Star yowled with laughter and Patty joined him slapping him on the back when he began choking.

"Get your stuff and go get in the car." Liz snarled and stomped away to the garage in sheer irritation.

"Ooh we're driving to school?" Black Star asked happily.

"Well Kid isn't here and that means Sis drives." Patty skipped out to the Ford Fairlane and climbed in through the open window. Black Star wanted to do the back windows were rolled up. He had to force the rear door open and he hinges shrieked in protest.

"You really have to rip at the back door to get it to open." He got in and pulled the door shut with less effort, "This is a really old car; kind of cool. Is it Kid's?"

"It's Lord Death's." Liz answered slamming the driver's side door. "Kid keeps babying it in case his dad is just going to be able to leave the Never After and go for a road trip. Now it looks like that might actually happen, considering Maka is offering to become a reaper and take up some of the work load."

Black Star stared at Liz's eyes in the rear view mirror.

"You don't seem to be too happy about that."

"I'm happy that the two of them are together, but I really don't want Kid taking over for Lord Death. Kid's planning on giving Death his freedom, and taking his place as a fixture in the netherworld. It will allow Kid to reap souls like Lord Death does, with his subconscious, but Kid isn't ready for that kind of responsibility yet. He hasn't lived out in the normal world that much, and he's ready to leave it to ensure the souls of the dead return easily to the nether world. It's just not fair! He's only sixteen! He wants to toss his life away before it's even started and Maka is doing nothing to stop him. I thought once he had a girlfriend he'd reconsider but she's helping him. I heard them discussing the other day how Maka was going to concentrate on the reaping duties and Kid was going to work on the processing and back end. Now we're not just losing Kid but we may be losing Maka too, I don't get it!"

Patty took a deep breath and let it out loudly. "Me and Sis don't want to see him do it, it just seems like a waste to us. I don't see why they just can't continue on hunting Kieshen eggs like the rest of us. I mean between the two of them wouldn't they have a easier time reaping on the outside of the netherworld than from the inside?"

"So why is he going to do it? Lord Death's not weakening or something is he?" Black Star asked, worried.

Patty tossed back her blond hair and mumbled, "No nothing like that. Aniki is just afraid Lord Death is depressed, and wants to get him out of it. He thinks being around normal people will give him back some of his humanity. Fat lot of good that will do Kid though."

"Why does Lord Death need humanity? I mean after all he's supposed to kill people right that certainly doesn't take humanity? Isn't it better if he just does it indiscriminately, without getting all emotional about it?"

"Kid doesn't see it that way, and now Maka is going along with this cockamamie scheme of his." Liz huffed, pulling into the student parking lot. "Right now I think this may be the real reason Soul and Maka are fighting, whether they know it or not."


	27. Chapter 27

June 7 2011 Edit

Our Way to War

The DWMA auditorium was furnished with forty five rows of lime green and black metal seats on a black and white checkered floor. Shinigami masks representing Comedy and Tragedy hung at intervals on the walls. There was a large stage at the front of the room floored in black linoleum and framed with intricately looped green curtains. Currently it was set with rows of chairs where the teachers, senior staff and Spartoi members would be seated for the assembly. The room was empty except for Kid, Maka Spirit and Lord Death whose image on the huge Jumbotron flickered and crackled in and out as Spirit tinkered with it.

The auditorium gave Liz the shivers. She thought it was one of the creepier rooms at the school and she hated walking under the skulls that framed the entry door. She comforted herself with the thought that she probably wouldn't have to stay in the room for very long. The assembly was taking place first thing in the morning and she was expecting missions to be passed out after the usual speech about the end of the world coming because new evil had risen from the grave.

Forcefully she felt the tug of Patty's hand as she was dragged inside, the macabre theater. Black Star pushed her forward jarring her gape and moving her through the doorway so the three of them stumbled in via stage left. Liz saw that Stein and Spirit were already up on stage. Spirit was playing stagehand, Stein; adjusting the microphone and the monitors. Maka and Kid were up there too, sitting in the front row black folding chairs. Kid was all dressed up and had a shit eating grin on his face. He was fondling Maka's knee and Maka was biting her lower lip and grinning madly. When she saw Liz, Patty and Black Star enter the auditorium she jumped out of her seat and nearly tackled the three of them.

"Look, look, look!" Maka squealed, holding up her hand for Liz and Patty to see. Liz stared at the large diamond ring on Maka's finger.

"Holy shit! When did you get that?" Liz shrieked.

Patty looked at the ring, and hugged Maka.

"We're really going to be sisters!" she gloated through a slightly hysterical giggle.

Black Star squirmed and stared at the ring, not sure why the girls were freaking out. "I don't get it. Is this some kind of girl thing?" he mumbled. He scratched his head and looked to Kid for an answer but the young Shinigami just bounced on the balls of his feet and smiled like an idiot. All the sudden Liz let out a high pitch squeal that could have shattered glass and grabbed Kid by the head, pulling him into a half nelson.

"Kiddo you proposed! God, why couldn't you have waited for the rest of us to be around?"

Spirit looked up from the microphone he was fixing and grinned at Liz. Evidently she'd hit the nail on the head. Black Star felt distinctively queasy and it wasn't just the stage lights bouncing into his eyes or the massive cluster of diamonds on Maka's left hand; it was Spirit's lack of protest. The red headed Death Scythe just grinned and flicked switches on the main control panel as if getting Lord Death to appear on the Jumbotron was more important than the bombshell Liz had just dropped. Black Star focused back on Kid with suspicious eyes.

Kid had struggled free of Liz and blushed, "The thing was rubbing a hole in my pocket. Besides, some things should be private."

Liz was ignoring him though and held up Maka's hand in the light. "I'm counting three diamonds! And they've gotta be a carat and a half each! The clarity is off on the center one though, it kind of looks yellow."

"It is yellow; it's a canary diamond. Doesn't it look just like Kid's eyes?" Maka gushed, "It's like my own little sun."

Maka's rambling had nothing to do with missions or Black Star himself and her hated hearing her spout useless girl dribble. Maka seemed to be full of that these days; first new bras, then boyfriends, then curling her hair and wearing makeup. She was well on the way to being Liz the second, and that just scared him. Where was the good old abusive clock you stupid Maka? Where was the tomboy he'd grown up with? She didn't even seem concerned about being hunted by a magical force of death. Shouldn't being on the wrong side of the Grand Design be her main priority? Black Star concluded she was too distracted by her new found boyfriend and was moving way too out of the norm for his tastes. Something clicked in the back of his mind, something that screamed _look at me god damn it_. Black Star quickly doubled over and made a loud gagging noise.

"Oh, barf! Spare me the girly crap it's too early in the morning. "He ordered loudly.

Patty and Maka punched him on each shoulder, leaving twin bruises while Liz continued her tirade.

"It's a beautiful ring. I thought we were going to help you pick one out, Kiddo."

Kid blushed again his face ears and neck turning beat red and he picked at the stiff collar of his shirt nervously. "Err- Sorry couldn't wait."

"So this means you're engaged? For real?" Black Star whispered quietly to Maka.

"Yeah, guess I'm someone else's problem now." Maka chuckled.

"I'm happy for you." Black Star spoke softly her. He was unable to keep the emotion out of his voice. He snuffed loudly and patted Kid on the shoulder, muttering low enough so only Kid could hear.

"If you ever hurt her or make her unhappy, I will come looking for you, and I will find a way to kill you. I'll scatter pieces of you all over the planet if I have too."

Kid nodded to Black Star and grinned, his eyes focused only on Maka as he spoke out of the side of his mouth. "I'd expect you to. I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I hurt her."

Kid's normal reluctance to fight and not rise to an argument irritated Black Star even more. He pouted and watched quietly as Liz hauled Maka off to the chairs on the stage, questioning her about the girly details of the proposal. Patty followed along, bouncing with excitement.

Students began filing in soon the auditorium filled with the sound of gym shoes on linoleum, loud voices and the usual ruckus brought on by excitement of getting out of class. Jacqueline and Kim came in and were immediately intrigued by the excited jabbering on the stage. It only took a moment of eaves dropping to figure out what was going on and they rushed into the circle of girls.

"Jesus, look at the size of that rock!" Kim shouted, yanking Maka's hand up.

"Daaamn." Jacqueline drawled, amazed, "Get enough diamonds there?"

"Evidently some of my expert taste has rubbed off on Kiddo-kun. Can I try it on?" Liz whined. "It's not every day I see an engagement ring, and it's not like I'm going to be getting one any time soon."

"Aww, Sis don't give up yet." Patty chuckled encouragingly.

Maka shot a worried glance at Kid and squirmed in her chair. "No this ring is going to stay right here from now until the day I die. No offense, Liz but I'm not taking this ring off for any one under any circumstance." She said reluctantly.

Black Star watched Spirit blanch when Maka mentioned her death. He looked as if someone had driven a knife into his chest. Stein let out a low whistle and shook his head. He'd been hiding in the background silently puffing his cigarette behind the lime green velvet drapes now he came out and helped Spirit up from the floor. He propped the other man up against the sound board and pushed a few cords out of the way, taping them down to prevent tripping.

Kid blushed yet again and tried to sink into his folding chair. Black Star stared at him and noticed Kid was wearing quite a bit of jewelry and was awfully dressed up for someone about to go head to head with a bunch of zombies. He wore a French cut shirt with Shinigami cufflinks fastening the wrists and a sterling silver watch chain hung from his waist and disappeared into his pocket. His normal skull necktie he had been replaced with a black silk one with an onyx tie clip and a silver skull buckle hung on his belt. He was fidgeting a lot, which seemed odd for the prim and proper Kid. His nervous looks bounced back and forth between Spirit and Stein. He was probably waiting for Maka's old man to wig out and try to kill his ass. Black Star knew that if he were in Kid's shoes that would be the first thing on his mind. He snorted and felt a little bit relieved. This calm accepting Spirit wouldn't last for long. All Black Star needed to do was sit back and wait for the explosion. It would be a riot to see what the famous Death Scythe would do to the youngest of the reaper clan.

Kilik and Harvar arrived. Ox followed them in, bitching to Kilik about the twins misbehaving and doing his best to re-educate them as the twins spun and drug him around like a rag doll.

"God damn it Kilik call off your weapons." Ox pleaded as the two earth spirits crawled up on his shoulders and pulled at his twin spikes of hair.

Black Star opened his mouth to make a smart assed comment but Soul and Tsubaki arrived and took seats behind Maka. Black Star stared at them for a moment before taking a seat between Kid and Patty.

"Maka, can we talk?" Soul whispered over Maka's shoulder. He was interrupted as the microphone kicked on, sending a squeal and high pitched hum into the auditorium. Death tapped his finger against the microphone on the other side of the Jumbotron and it echoed for a second between the Never After and the auditorium speakers. He told everyone to take their seats and Maka shushed Soul, who gave her a confused stare.

On the Jumbotron's huge screen Lord Death loomed over the students in a foreboding way, his added expression of discomfort made him seem less jovial and more like a god towering over his army of dark avengers. Death cleared his sinuses to get rid of the nasal sound in his voice and spoke in a deep baritone, something Maka was used to from talking with him at the house. It confused some of the students, though, and they stared in surprise as Death began to speak.

"Students, you are about to return to the battlefield after some time away from the great dangers of the world. It's hard for me to ask this of you. A man named Gunter is using lazarus to raise an army of zombies. He has created a horde of dangerous allies, many of whom used to be our friends and family members. He has targeted some of our families murdering some of our loved ones and converting others for his use. It is imperative that you understand our enemy is no normal one. They have preyed upon our weaknesses, tried to divide us, and they will now take the opportunity to try and slaughter us. While we are hurting and grieving, distraught by the loss of our family members, our enemies are collecting themselves and increasing their army of the undead. Children, I need you to rise up against our new adversaries; to hunt them out and destroy them for they have violated every human right and natural law that we have been given. There is more involved in this than just battle. I am asking you to fight your own loved ones; to declare war on those who have been stolen from their graves and are being forced to fight against you. In order to do so you must put your emotions aside and show our enemy that you will not be conquered by their cruel tactics. That you will not bend to their evil and injustice. You must impress upon our foes that the students of Shibusen are a powerful breed who will return the injustices being dealt to you and your families fifty fold. Students of Shibusen, I have brought you here to declare war. I beg of you, as students of this academy, not to let your minds to be carried off from the great work we have done here. No matter how strong the temptation will be to save your friends and families, there is no turning them back from the lazarus and Gunter's control. Though this struggle may feel too large for you, know that your comrades at arms will be with you and that together we can rise up and destroy all those that hunt us and strip lives away before their time. Rise up and stand for those who cannot stand for themselves. Rise up and destroy all that have soaked their hands in our blood. Go now and defeat the undead that lay waiting for you."

The class erupted in applause and noise. Many of the students screamed for blood and revenge or called out the names of fallen family members. Maka watched the tide of students roll up to seize their orders from her father and Dr. Stein, who were passing out black envelopes embossed with a white skull. The Spartoi waited until all the others had received their orders and then Kilik and Maka stepped forward.

Stein handed Kilik an envelope and he opened it up, scanning at the orders. "Haiti." he whispered in anguish.

Maka opened hers.

"The Middle East." She read.

"That's a little bit broad." Kilik complained on Maka's behalf.

"We have several leads there that need to be checked out." Stein explained. "Kilik, your team is to investigate and determine if the enemy is exploiting the current disaster in Haiti." Kilik nodded and left the stage with his team behind him.

"Congratulations!" Kim and Jacqueline screamed in tandem as they exited the auditorium.

Stein cleared his voice, turning the Spartoi Squadron's attention back to him. The bolt on his head twisted in his palm and a ratcheting noise vibrated off the stage and into the auditorium.

"Team Maka, you all need to hold up for a minute. Mira and Sid have suggested that we get some extra equipment for you to wear on your mission and they've gone to collect it."

Spirit sighed loudly and discontentedly as he began thumbing of the sound system switches. His voice blared across room through the microphone before he found the right button to silence it. "I don't see why my daughter has to be sent to a war zone. Wouldn't it have been better to send the third years? Maka's team has been targeted enough already."

"Papaaaaa…" Maka protested.

Stein looked at Spirit with a bored expression and spun around to disconnect the Jumbotron before Lord Death could voice his opinion. Lord Death and Spirit had been fighting about the assignment since Maka and Kid had gone to get cleaned up for school, and frankly Stein was tired of the argument. "It's a matter of example, Spirit. They're members of Spartoi Squadron. Many of the older students have been given tough assignments too. We're a little short handed right now and until the remaining Death Scythes get here we'll have to give the dangerous missions to the more capable students."

Stein noticed that both Maka and Black Star were smiling. He had inadvertently stroked both of their egos because they assumed he thought theirs was the most capable team available. They didn't know that Stein secretly agreed with Spirit about this particular assignment. The disintegration of trust between the team members had left Maka's team vulnerable and unpredictable, which made Stein feel extremely uneasy. He thought Lord Death should have sent them to Paris or one of the other less violent zones, where they could have completed their mission quickly and in relative safety. Lord Death's utter faith in his son had resulted in the team pulling one of the more complicated assignments even if it was probably going to be a false lead. Stein looked over at the girls, who were whispering in fast hurried tones. Tsubaki stood outside their circle, listening but not talking. Stein caught her gaze and saw something akin to fury shining out at him.

Tsubaki's eyes flicked dangerously around at her team mates then back to Stein. "Why are we getting a bullshit mission in the Middle East when it's obvious this Gunter person is probably in Europe somewhere? The other students aren't as emotionally invested in this so how come they got the missions in Europe? Have the other teams lost at much as we have?"

Stein was shocked; he'd never seen Tsubaki act so aggressively before, much less swear in front of him. She was usually quiet and calm, always apologizing for Black Star's behavior. The loss of her father had her on edge so Stein felt no need to reprimand her.

"You're sending us to a war zone to investigate but I'm sure our enemy is likely to be in the area where Liz and Patty chased that flock of birds. We should be looking for Gunter, not tracking down zombie attacks and wasting time on a useless lead." Tsubaki announced, feeling surer of her words.

Stein had no idea what to say to her and was glad to be distracted by Sid, who was dragging several large plastic trunks onto the stage. "When I was alive and in the military we didn't have such nice trunks for our gear Mira. We just used rucksacks and duffle bags." The zombie teased his weapon partner.

"Can it! No one cares how it was when you were alive. You're dead. You're dead just like my poor father." Tsubaki snapped. Sid's face darkened in bewilderment unable to understand what he'd said to get himself scolded by the nicest girl at the school. He gave a quizzical look to Tsubaki then to Stein and finally to Black Star, who shook his head in exasperation.

Tsubaki focused her anger back on Stein, "Quit dodging my question professor! Why aren't we heading back to Europe? Why are you sending us halfway around the world to investigate a lead you know damn well isn't going to tell us anything. We should be looking for Gunter while he's wounded. Now is the time to strike, when our enemy is at his weakest."

Stein opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by Mira, who slapped a trunk down on the stage and broke off Tsubaki's tirade.

"There are no pointless or small missions in war, Tsubaki. An army is only as good as each soldier's ability to follow orders and complete the missions assigned to them. It would be best if you remembered that in the days to come. It would also be best if you got your emotions under control before someone gets hurt."

Mira began tossing army surplus uniforms out of a trunk onto the stage floor.

"One of our foreign Death Scythes thought that you should have better armament since your entering a war zone. So we got you some dragon skin and fatigues to protect you in the dessert. I think since most of you wear shorts or skirts it might be wise for you cover up when the desert winds whip up. They can rub you raw if you're not protected."

Spirit looked up from the audio equipment he was folding away with a dark expression. "It's imperative that the lot of you wear dragon skin armor and helmets at all times."

"Dragon skin!" Black Star sang happily, imagining himself in scaled Arthurian-style armor. He came back to earth when Spirit began handing out heavy swat team vests. "Oh, you mean Kevlar." He sighed.

Spirit personally dressed Maka in the thick vest and topped her head with a military helmet.

"This shit is much better than any old Kevlar. It can take grenades and armor piercing round she announced happily. "Long as you don't get blasted in face or limbs you'll probably be okay."

"Wish we'd had this stuff back in my younger years, I'd have a few less holes in me." Sid sighed.

Maka stomped her foot against the stage floor and it echoed in the empty assembly room. "Papa I am not wearing Kevlar out in the damned desert; it's a hundred and five degrees there most days. This stuff is way weighed down by this crap."

"Listen here little missy; the Grand Design is gunning for you, your mother has gone insane and you're headed into a place that's been a combat zone since before you were born. You kids are going to wear the Dragon Skin and the other military gear and you're going to like it. Mira and Sid went through a lot of trouble scoring this to keep you all safe." Spirit scolded, positioning a large mirror and activating it for use as a gateway.

Mira Nygus tossed a set of fatigues at Maka. "Be a good little soldier and do as you're told Maka. You kids go ahead and shed your regular gear and get into the combat stuff. It's all surplus so modify it however you want - just make sure you have the Kevlar on underneath it. Be glad you're not wearing the full military uniform and combat gear that I suggested. Dragon Skin is state of the art; it breathes great compared to the stuff we wore just a couple of years ago."

Soul couldn't hide his enthusiasm. "Like Tom Clancy Ghost Recon. Holy shit this is cool. We should dress like this all the time - much better than stupid sailor suits and shirt and ties!" Soul picked out pair of military style boots and a vest in his size.

Patty picked up a pair of fatigue pants and found a grenade in the pocket. She twirled the grenade around her finger by the pin.

"OOOH, grenades! I like these pants."

Spirit and Stein went pale as Mira carefully removed the grenade from Patty's finger.

"These aren't toys, Patty." She motioned gently.

"Dude, I want a grenade!" Black Star exclaimed, pawing through the military attire hoping to find another weapon that may have been overlooked.

"Are we getting guns to go with this gear?" Liz questioned. "I'd like to put my order in for a long range sniper rifle, if we're getting real toys."

"What the hell are you going to do with a sniper rifle?" Mira choked; amused that sweet little nail polishing Liz liked the military gear as much as the boys did. _There may be hope for this girl yet._

"I'm going to blow Gunter's fucking head off with it." Liz explained calmly.

"You can't say fucking! You're too young to be using words like fucking! Elizabeth Thompson, I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap." Spirit yelped. Maka slapped her hand to her forehead and struck the helmet that Spirit had secured to her head. It left a ringing noise in her ears and her face grew furious. "This is stupid. Only you would think about wearing body armor out to a place that stays sweltering all year round. Kid, say something."

Spirit shot Kid a dirty look, threatening him to say anything. "Err… Kitten, I kind of agree with your dad on this one. I don't want anyone getting shot and you're in more danger than usual now that your turning points are being altered." Kid said, trying to placate her.

Maka rolled her eyes at him and Black Star snorted.

"He's calling you kitten?" He pointed at Maka, "What, you give him a panty shot of your Hello Kitties?

"I—err—you- Black Star!" Maka screamed. Her face turned furiously red and Patty reached over and slapped Black Star stupid.

"Never, ever belittle a woman's underwear." Liz advised, also smacking Black Star on the head.

"Underoos, you mean. They're Underoos" Kid supplied, chuckling with Black Star. Then he looked at Black Star in alarm, "Wait, how do you know she's wearing Hello Kitty underpants?"

The exchange left Spirit furious and his head snapped from Black Star to Kid, unsure which one of them to go after first. Before he could decide Black Star leapt through the mirror without answering and Kid chased after him. The rest of the team filed through the mirror and the school auditorium faded from black and lime green into a dusty, sand covered street where crumbling plaster buildings clumped tightly together. Their once-white plaster was peeling off in layers and many of them lacked windows or even doors. They were just skeletal remains of what had once been homes and business, now abandoned or lived in by squatters and refugees.

"So are you wearing Hello Kitty panties too, Patty?" Black Star lifted Patty's skirt with the tip of his combat boot and saw the gym shorts underneath. Patty looked down her shorts and checked her underwear. "If you must know, I'm wearing She-Hulk today" she giggled, and slapped a helmet on her head.

"Comic book characters, my kind of girl." Black Star rattled off goofily.

"Can we change the subject, please? I feel really uncomfortable talking about Maka's and Patty's underwear." Tsubaki said.

Soul had a mild coughing attack that sounded a lot like "Victoria's Secret thong". He had finished dressing and the BDU hung loosely over his clothes. "Jesus it's hot out here! We're more likely to die from heat stroke. Maybe I should just go ahead and turn into a scythe now."

"Let's get out of the school uniforms. It's too hot to wear them with the military gear. We should probably listen to the adults on this one." Maka sighed.

"Way too hot!" Patty agreed while wiggling out of her skirt.

"You just want to wear fatigues. And quit taking your clothes off in the middle of the street!" Liz griped and dragged Patty into one of the abandoned buildings.

"Can you blame me? I agree with Soul; army gear is much better than sailor moon outfits. I wouldn't have to wear shorts under my skirts if I didn't wear skirts." Patty protested.

"God, when did I get volunteered to baby sit the squirt squad?" Liz growled. She was already getting cranky; she was boiling and the desert fatigues did nothing for her color, muting out her alabaster flesh with its dull golds, khakis and browns. Maka and Tsubaki followed her into the building carrying the active mirror home between them by its heavy black frame. It was important that they secure the mirror, since it was their only way home. Liz pushed the mirror into a corner of the empty building and began covering it up with rubbish that she found in the room while the other girls changed. Outside, Soul whipped out a can of spray paint and drew a marker on the front of the building, while Kid and Black Star finished dressing. He knocked on the wall and Patty told him he could come in.

"It would have been so much easier if we would have dressed back at school." Tsubaki said to no one in particular. She pulled her hair back under the helmet and fastened it into a tight bun.

"Yeah, I wish they would plan ahead for stuff like this instead of just pushing us through a mirror and telling us to go investigate. Maka what do our orders say?" Soul asked as Kid and Black Star joined them.

"They say there have been reports of zombies all across the Middle East. We're supposed to go from country to country till we discover the lazarus source here and destroy it and the zombies."

"And how the hell are we supposed to do that?" Black Star asked, annoyed, "They could have at least given us a car."

Maka shook her head. "We can't use one here. The roads are littered with land mines. Basically the whole war on terror you hear about on the news is the US trying to move supplies to the people and police the routes used to move them. We're in Iraq right now and land mines are still being used on US convoys. Unless we had a military grade vehicle that could take bullets and landmines we'd probably end up looking like charbroiled hamburgers. We'll set up base here and use the mirror as an access route to get us to the other countries."

"Everyone put these red cross armbands on in case we're seen by the locals. I don't want anyone getting kidnapped or mistaken for US military." Kid ordered, handing out the white bands.

Maka pulled land maps from her black envelope and spread them out on the floor. There were four in all, spotted with violet ink that indicated the areas where Lord Death had detected the undead. Maka took out a pencil and began gridding off one of the maps into sections.

"Kid how good are you at postal codes? If we're going to use the mirror network to go to a location on the map we need to know the postal codes, right?"

"Most of the codes for each country are in different from the US system and some of them are really complicated. I usually carry the information in my reference notebook but I…uh…didn't remember to bring it." Kid said, looking abashed.

"Too busy dressing up all fancy and making goo-goo eyes at Maka." Black Star said in disgust.

"I can go find a few reaps in each country and maybe get us a phone directory. Real quick." Kid offered hopefully.

"Patty, Liz, go with him." Maka ordered.

"But he said 'reap'." Liz whined.

"Oh boy!" Patty cheered happily.

"Don't worry; I won't take you into the Never After Liz. You girls can wait in the real world and look for the directories while I'm getting the reaps done." Kid assured her.

Patty flipped herself into gun form right away, but Liz eyed Kid suspiciously before transforming. Maka watched the golden light begin forming around Kid as he searched for the dead that would take him to where he needed to go and smiled. Liz didn't realize the lights were, in fact, part of the Never After, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Kid stowed the guns into twin holsters that had been strapped over his vest. Why he was wearing the Dragon Skin Maka had no clue; had she been able to go without it she would have done so. Then it occurred to her that once again Kid was trying to blend in with everyone else and not flaunt his invulnerability. Come to think of it, he was capable of summoning a mirror portal all by himself but didn't because he hated revealing his unnatural powers to his friends and fellow students.

"Be safe." Maka whispered as Kid, Patty and Liz blipped out of reality.

She looked up at Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki and began plotting her next move. "Tsubaki can you help me grid off these maps? I want each of them in one inch by one inch squares. We'll use the grid to help us travel to each of the infected areas"

Tsubaki just nodded, and looked at Maka guiltily.

"I need to talk to you about something." Soul butted stiffly into the conversation.

Black Star glared at him. "Don't. It's not going to make a difference. You're just trying to clear your guilty conscience, what good will it do to tell her?"

"Let me." Tsubaki whispered at the two angry young men facing off against each other.

Black Star and Soul turned to her, Soul nodding his consent. Black Star snorted his disapproval, but he would never raise his voice against Tsubaki.

"Why don't you both go check the area? Make sure there aren't any bombs are landmines or insurgents sneaking around. Let me talk to Maka." Tsubaki suggested.

Soul grabbed Black Star by the collar and hauled him outside, leaving the two girls alone in the musty crumbling building.

"It stinks in here." Tsubaki complained.

"This place hasn't seen water in the pipes for years. It's probably a combination of sewage, dirt, and the usual mess vagrants leave behind in abandoned buildings." Maka told her.

"I've never been in a place like this for any amount of time. Buildings don't stay vacant long in Japan." Tsubaki said.

"Tsubaki, what's going on? What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Maka asked sharply.

Maka stared at the broken door frame as Tsubaki fidgeted and began to speak softly. "You and Soul are through, right?"

Maka sighed. "Of course. I'm with Kid." She grabbed another map and began gridding it off. She debated for a minute and decided to show Tsubaki her ring. She held her hand up and smiled shyly, "Actually, Kid proposed."

Tsubaki snapped her pen in half and she yelped in surprise as the ink flowed onto her hand. "No way! He proposed?"

Maka looked up from the concrete floor and sidled up next to Tsubaki. "It was a really amazing proposal and the ring he chose – it's just beautiful. Kid is so wonderful." she said, blushing. The weight of the ring on her finger still had her attention. "

Tsubaki eyed the ring cautiously. "Does Soul know?"

"No." Maka moaned, "I can't do anything with him lately. He gets angry at me over everything. I know he's mad at me but I miss having my partner to talk to."

Tsubaki nodded and stuttered while trying to find the right words. "Soul and I… we sort of… coupled the other night. It was a onetime thing, I promise! It was just sort of stupid."

Maka stared at her. "What do you mean by 'coupled'?"

Tsubaki focused on the ground and choked out, "I mean… what it sounds like. We had sex." The words smashed against the walls harder than any land mine. There was nothing but hurt in her.

"What about Black Star? I thought you and he were..."

Tsubaki shook her head and stood up, her shadow dwarfing Maka. "I have never and will never be with Black Star. I was more worried about what you would think."

Maka's eyes widened. "So you and Soul, um, did that. I don't know how I feel about it. I guess since we've never been a couple, I'm not really upset. It feels weird though. I didn't even know you liked Soul that way."

"I don't." Tsubaki wailed wretchedly. This wasn't the response she had expected from Maka. She had expected Maka to be upset; ranting, crying, pissed, but Maka was perfectly calm.

"You're really over him, aren't you?" Tsubaki asked hesitantly.

Maka took Tsubaki's hand. "If anything it feels sort of…well…like a bit of finality. I feel sort of relieved. Do you want me to be upset?"

Tsubaki shook her head as a warm breeze blew in the paneless window, circulating the musty smell.

"No I don't want you to be mad at me, but I think Soul will be upset that you're taking it so well. You may be over him but he's not over you."

Maka felt a stab of pain. "But if he slept with you doesn't that mean he has to be over me?"

"Guys don't work that way. They can be casual about sex; it's a way some of them start recovering from a break up."

"But we were never together." Maka said, "It's not really a break up unless he's decided not to be my partner anymore. He didn't decide that, did he?"

Tsubaki raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "No."

"Relationships complicate everything don't they?" Maka groaned and her face pinched with concern.

"Yes." Tsubaki sighed.

A shuffling at the door let the girls know that Black Star and Soul were back. Soul looked in cautiously but Black Star stomped in and grabbed Maka up in a hug.

"You don't have to play it cool." he whispered, "I'm pissed. It's okay if you're pissed too."

"I'm not angry." Maka assured him.

She rubbed Black Star's back and he looked at her in surprise.

"You're not?" he and Soul said at the same time.

"Yeah, matter of fact I just want to get all this over with and out in the open."

Maka walked up to Soul and took his hands. "Soul, I know things have been really rocky between the two of us lately, but I want you to be happy and if that's being with Tsubaki or whoever then that's what I want for you. Kid proposed to me and I really hope you can find someone you can be with and move on."

Soul stared at Maka, shocked. "He proposed? Like officially proposed, not some kind of Shinigami supernatural bullshit that's going to bind you to him in death or whatever?"

"Yes and I accepted." Maka added happily. Before Soul had a chance to respond she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. "I still want us to be partners. I still want us to be friends. Please say that's still possible."

Soul shuddered under her grip. She was bubbling over, and he felt like shit. _Friends, partners, married away to the future Lord Death._It was too much for him to handle. "Maka please think about this." he croaked.

"Be happy for me. Be a part of this, I want you to be a part of this. You're my best friend." Maka sniffled, "You're my family." Her voice broke and she put her head down on Soul's shoulder and cried.

Soul shuddered again. "I'll try." he rasped, feeling tears well up. They dripped on the concrete floor, turning the dirt and dust dark. "I can't promise you anything more than that. I'll try to be happy for you." _But you're killing me inside_ he thought glumly.

Maka swiped at the mascara running down her face and grinned at Soul. "Thank you. That's all I'm asking for. She coughed and turned back to the maps. "I think we're about done. Soon as Kid gets back we'll label the grids with postal codes and start checking things out."

"It will be faster if we split up." Soul suggested, choking back his emotions. "How big an area does each of these squares cover?"

Maka stared at the maps, kicking her combat boot into the dust. "I'm guessing no bigger than four blocks apiece. I tried to keep them small. We should probably focus on areas that have high zombie sightings and areas adjacent to that. The zombies will most likely be coming from the less populated areas."

"Don't they need that lay-line shit to be summoned?" Black Star growled in annoyance. He shoved his fist into the wall for his own amusement and watched as the plaster fell away under from his hand. He grinned as the bits of wall crumbled. Knowing he could easily level the whole house by himself had a calming effect on him. He stared at Maka curiously, wondering why she was so calm, why she wasn't angry at Soul. He himself felt devastated knowing his best friend and his partner had slept together. It felt wrong and filthy and left him dissatisfied. Then it dawned on him; what if Maka wasn't upset because she was sleeping with Kid? Black Star's stomach dropped and he rammed his fist into the wall again, ramming his arm in up to the elbow. _No. She wouldn't do that, would she? She was saving herself for marriage right?_ The light from the window bounced of Maka's ring and left sparkles in the dimly lit room. Black Star stared at the ring feeling defeated. She was engaged, that was saving herself for marriage, really. She'd probably already given it up to that Shinigami bastard.

Black Star's stomach burned and he struggled to free his hand. Furious, he kicked the wall and sent it tumbling over into the other room. It wasn't enough; he wanted to break more things.

"What the hell are you doing?" Maka screamed. She peered through the dust at the destruction Black Star had caused and he wiped the back of his hair nervously.

"I just thought we needed a little more room, was all."

"Well, try not to bring down any load bearing walls. I don't want the Grand Design coming here to gobble me up because you're redecorating! I'm not going out that way."

Tsubaki gave Black Star a suspicious and annoyed look and stared back down at the maps. "Black Star and I will take this one. Do we need to go to all the squares or just the ones that are marked with the zombie activity?"

"All. But we need to focus on the hot spots first. We'll ask the locals where they've seen the zombies coming from and radiate outwards."

Black Star snapped the map from Tsubaki's hand. "How the hell are we suppose to know if we're in the square or not?

Tsubaki pointed at the tops of the little squares on the aerial map.

"You see, each of these little squares are buildings. Since we're good at bouncing from building to building we just have to look at the rooftops to see where they match up.

"But what about the areas that don't have buildings?"

"Then we don't have to look so hard. It's not like zombies are going to be bubbling up out of the sand in the dessert. After all, the people and bodies they're turning into zombies have to come from somewhere."

Black Star stared at Tsubaki, nodding in agreement. Tsubaki was really smart, smarter than he gave her credit for. She had lost her father and was angrier than he'd ever seen her, but she wasn't knocking down walls or holding petty emotional grudges against her teammates. Black Star took Tsubaki's hand and squeezed it.

"You're smart Tsubaki. We'll blow through this garbage assignment and then we'll take down the bastard who killed your dad. Even if I have to die trying."


	28. Chapter 28

**Authors Notes**: Sometimes I hate editing. This chapter has been rewritten nearly five times to get it just right. And while I was working on it I launched an edited version of Chapter 8 with totally new content and realized that I have to rewrite Chapter 9 because so much has changed in 1-8. The chapters are taking longer to come out so that I can go back and flesh out the bad guys, elaborate on Kid's past (well everyone's past) and add complexity to the early chapters. I realized that some people can't read into actions as well as others and I'm trying to make the reasons behind the characters' actions a lot more obvious. This is actually difficult because I like subtly and hate being spoon fed every thought running through the characters mind. Whoever pointed out I needed more scenery and description… thank you thank you thank you. I am adding it now and it's making the story a lot richer.

Okay, on to what I have planned. My next big project is to redo chapter 9. I'm going to iron out the continuity bugs and Belle will be replacing Murder in the attack on Kid's house. Most importantly I'm going to elaborate on the turning points. The turning points in this chapter were transparent and only about two people picked up on them so I'm going to rewrite them and make them stronger and more evident. Soul, who is a struggle for me to write, will be softened so he comes off as less of an asshole. It's been suggested that I show his inner thoughts more since younger readers have problems inferring feelings from actions alone. Point taken and I'm doing it.

Of course fixing chapter 9 will lead to fixing chapters10-14 as well. (Blarghf! more editing) Though I'm keeping the fluff in these chapters, I'm pushing for more action and heart pounding violence. Someone pointed out I was dialogue heavy so I'm adding scenery and character actions to make it feel more real. So as always, thanks for reviewing and providing constructive criticism I will take what is given to me.

For those who asked for Tsubaki/Black Star, sorry ain't gonna to happen. I hate disappoint you guys though so I may consider it for another story. As for the reader who wanted KidxMaka...err… the whole story is hung on the framework of Maka's journey from being a Miester to becoming a Reaper. They may not be your favorite couple but the story's not about them being a couple as much as it's about the events that occur because they become a couple and their impact on Kid's world and life. For those who don't like the KidxMaka I'm weeding out fluff like crazy and putting in more action, but most of this is happening in rewrites of earlier chapters, although it will continue through the rest of the story.

Someone suggested that everyone should pair off with someone else in the group. Also not going to happen Life doesn't work that neatly, and though I'm writing a fictional story, I believe in having some elements of realism. If didn't care about realism there would be a lot less showering eating, shopping, and classes to attend in the story and everyone would live happily ever after with the dreamboat of their choice. I don't intend for this to be a romance novel or a smutty story with lots and lots of pointless sex. I see it as a religious exploration/ urban horror piece that has both action and romance - least that's what I'm going for!

For me, the reaping is actually the most important part of the story, because the death rites of each religion are being explored as accurately as possible, and while Maka, Kid and the cast of Soul eater are bouncing around the world I hope everyone learns something from the cultural references that I throw into each chapter. It takes a shit load of research and I'd love you to feel like you're in the places the kids are traveling to, whether it's the netherworld, a Jewish funeral, a car crash on a back road in Kentucky, a war zone in the Middle East or the jungles of Vietnam. (Oops! spoiler)

If I can make you feel like you've experienced something about different places, cultures and customs without being bored, then damn it, I've done my job. As far as the story's length goes, I'm looking at a few more arcs before completion. I still have parts of the world the cast needs to go, bad guys that need killing and approximately 8 more major religions to illustrate through reaps (Sorry about your luck, Maka, it's time to get your hands dirty!) before everything winds down and we see the conclusion. The final chapter has been written but I have to fill in all the stuff in between. And sometimes writing everything that needs to happen takes me longer than I expected. Pushing back the number of the final chapter.

Okay! Question that needs answering:

Where the hell I'm getting my ideas? Home, traveling, stupid shit that has happened to me and people I know. The really scary thing about this story is how much of it is true -things I've seen and had happen to me in real life. (Not the zombies, obviously!) But I've traveled a bunch, my husband even more. Well enough jabber if you got more questions critiques just review I will answer you. OH one more thing I wanted to thank the 22,158 readers who read this story. I would have never imagined this many people would have bothered reading this, and all the folks who are nice enough to point out errors and ask questions, though I know the reviews don't actually reflect all of your thoughts I just want to say thank you and as long as you keep adding me to favorites and subscribing, and reviewing I'll be happy to write for you and continue to improve on things. Its very flattering, thank you.

* * *

**Forever in the Never After**

**Chapter 28 Journey to the Middle East**

* * *

There were very few things in the world that Liz actually hated; scary super natural bullshit being at the top of the list, followed very closely by calorie counting. The inexplicable stupidity of high school, run ins with New York law enforcement and neglectful parenting were right up there too, but traveling through the Never After using the power of Death's magic might have them all beat. Her stomach lurched as the orange and purple melody of colors wrapped around Kid. It was a good thing she was in gun form or else she would have vomited all over Patty. She stared at her sister loathsomely in the dark that was only illuminated by the warm pink glow of their own souls. She could feel things; her clothes, the earrings she'd put on this morning, the harsh scent of the hairspray she had used before the school assembly and the makeup she had pan-caked onto her face. But in the dim light of her own soul she could only look down at her naked body and see the imperfections that marred it. Being naked in the terrifying environment made her even more insecure.

Looking over in the darkness she could see Patty was still clothed in the army surplus gear Mira had given her. Her soul was lit by an electric buzzing that seemed to be all her own and now she was cheering with jubilation about the trip through Never After.

"That was so fun! Let's do it again, find us another one Kiddo!" Patty sang happily.

And Liz felt her knee hit the floor as she clutched her stomach. She chanted a constant reminder to herself that it was all an illusion. That right now she just appeared to be naked and in reality her body had transformed into a sleek gun which currently was being held in the hand of the latest addition to her family.

Kid chuckled back through resonance, acknowledging Patty's excitement. "So you like that do you?"

"Absolutely not!" Liz gagged out as Patty chanted "Again Again." in her comical sing song voice.

Kid spun the pistols on his fingers before flipping them into the air to release them. As they transformed Liz felt spider webs clinging to her hair and body. She dusted at them madly, trying to remove the feeling of something clinging to her skin with no avail. Everywhere the purple light touched her she felt them. She looked up to question Kid but found that he had stooped to the floor looking at a dead woman in front of them.

Liz glanced at the body and then turned away. There were scattered sprays of buckshot along walls spattered with a thick coat of red that reminded her of a Jackson Pollack painting she had once seen in the Guggenheim. It took her a second to realize the surreal scene was not paint but blood splattered on the grey and mint colored walls. It was everywhere, smeared where the woman had tried to find her footing right before she died. The blood slid down the walls like thin spaghetti sauce and Liz felt her nausea return. There was something else in the room too, something that Patty was talking too, and Liz felt a prickly feeling of ice climb up her skin.

"P-Patty? Who are you talking to?"

"Mrs. Marinara sauce who else?" Patty asked quizzically before going back to her conversation with the woman's ghost. Liz finally dared to look at the dead woman. She was maybe five six years older than Liz. There was a hole in her chest and her black hair spilled all over the floor, drenched in a pool of her own blood. Her honey brown eyes stared up lifelessly and it didn't take Liz long to notice the humming of flies in the dusty little room. The woman was covered from head to toe in a hijab, not a black one like she'd seem Islamic women on TV wear, but a pastel one.

Kid coughed loudly and pulled Liz her out of her stupor. He started shuffling the two girls under the fabric that hung on the door frame.

"Go outside and look for a phone book. I have work to do and you two are in the way."

Liz didn't argue. Kid winked at her and made a quick head motion indicating that it was Patty he was really trying to get out. Liz nodded and they shared a moment of understanding. She grabbed Patty and dragged her out of the room by the wrist. Patty was being way too insensitive to the fact that someone had died and, not for the first time, Liz felt slightly embarrassed of her sister. Sure the two of them had a tough life growing up on the streets of Brooklyn but it hadn't left Liz completely desensitized to death. Sometimes Patty could be utterly callous and Liz worried that she'd been damaged by living a rough life from such a young age.

She flipped her hair away from her sweaty neck and smacked at a fly that landed on her skin. She checked out the room uncomfortably. She could tell it was a pawn shop even without being able to read Arabic. Liz could hear Kid speaking, his tongue twisting into strange words and long vowels. She found it hard to ignore the fact that he was doing his supernatural reaper voodoo crap in the back room and it gave her the creeps. It was a part of Kid's life that she'd never been privy to, or even given much thought to. He suddenly seemed like a dangerous stranger instead of her quirky little brother.

Patty obviously didn't have a problem with any of it. She browsed around touching things, examining something at the broken cash register and kicking at the bits of broken glass scattered about.

_We don't need to be here, what if the cops come? _ Liz thought woefully. The place had obviously been robbed and she and Patty were looking for a damned phone book at the scene of the crime while Kid hunkered over the murdered girl's body, doing god knows what to it.

"OOOh, look at this." Patty sang happily from an alcove behind a curtain.

Liz yanked the cloth back to see what Patty was touching now. There was a whole wall of rifles and hand guns. Obviously not something the merchant had shown most of his clientele. Patty picked up a rather sinister looking kukri and swung it around while Liz was drawn to the well-oiled black metal rifles. Many of them were automatics and she quickly recognized the only American-made gun among them. The M16 had a gun sling spotted with a dark substance she suspected was blood. The fatigue pattern identified it as a relic of the desert storm era. Liz checked out the other weapons finding the lack of blood on them slightly less disturbing to look at.

"I can't believe we're in a war zone." She whispered, watching Patty pick up another item and leave her finger prints all over it. It was too late to tell Patty to quit touching things. She'd already left her prints all over the murder scene. _Let's just pray the cops aren't as thorough as the ones in New York._

Liz's eye fell on a rifle scabbard with a stubby metal grip. She knew this gun. She peeled the scabbard off of the rifle and stared at the Avtomat Kalashnikova Skladnoy. It had a foldaway stock that allowed it to function as a sawed off shotgun for close combat or a long range rifle. The S model was one of the former Soviet Union's leading exports next to vodka and Fyodor Dostoyevsky novels. Unlike its American counterpart, the M-16, this gun was good in multiple situations. Liz knew from her peculiar interest in guns that the M-16 was prone to seizing up at inopportune moments, which usually got a person dead in the worst way.

There was something about being a weapon herself that made holding one feel good. She could appreciated a gun that could fire in when it was ten below zero or covered in muck, something at times she had experienced herself. This particular model had been modified with a scope that had spray dot targeting, which was a psychological trick to make the enemy wonder just how many people were aiming at them. It had obviously been well cared for by the store owner because there wasn't a speck of dust in the hard to clean bits, like the trigger and the space between the magazine and the places where the wood met the metal. This puppy was completely clean and didn't have a scratch on it. It probably hadn't even been used.

Patty peered over Liz's shoulder at the gun her sister was inspecting

"Cool gun! It's missing the stock though." she squealed.

"It has a stock; it's just inside the gun." Liz found the release and pulled the out rod that served as the stock.

Patty clapped while Liz lifted the rifle into position. The flickering light of the pawn shop buzzed and protested as she pressed the metal into her shoulder and made Liz shift on the balls of her feet nervously. Of course she was showing off for her little sister a bit but the comfort of holding a real weapon in her hands was actually distracting her of the direness of what was going on in the back room.

"You're so smart Sis. I bet you know the name of every gun in the world."

Liz blushed at Patty's weird compliment before opening her parched throat to speak. "No, not every gun, just the ones that I like that are too expensive to own."

The loss of light from the store front windows caught Liz's attention. Someone had walked past the heavily barred window and she had seen the shadow even through the cloud of yellow dust that was twisting in the air along the street. Another fly buzzed around and Patty smacked it absently with the bottom of a snow globe, oblivious to the world around her. Liz moved closer to the window and found herself staring squarely at a black bird pecking against the glass. Is that one of the soul birds? _No, it's' eyes are the wrong color; it doesn't look like a crow or a raven either._ Alarmed, Liz flicked the gunstock back down, put the weapon into its scabbard and slid it between her shoulders under her shirt. She grabbed Patty by the hand and hauled her into the back room where Kid was collecting the store owner's soul. She couldn't explain why but freaky reaper crap seemed less frightening that being stared at by the bird. The room was empty except for the body of the young woman. Liz looked around franticly for another room that Kid could have gone into, but there wasn't one. The dead woman's eyes stared at her at her and another fly landed on her hand. Liz wanted the woman to move and shoo it away but of course she didn't. In spite of the heat in the small room Liz's skin felt cold and it made her shiver in her boots.

"God damn it Kid! Kid! Where are you where did you go?"

There was a jingling of bells from the front of the store, and Liz's stomach tightened.

"We need to leave." she whispered to Patty. Liz tried to see who had entered but the curtain that covered the doorway was completely opaque. She could hear the heavy clomp of men's shoes moving around the store and the clattering of things being examined. She motioned to her sister and they transformed into weapon form. Liz expected to clatter against the cement floor of the storage room but instead the butt of the gun landed in an incredibly sweaty palm. She shrieked out loud until she realized it was Kid who had managed to snap both guns up one hand while he juggled a stack of phone books piled up to his head. He had a vacant expression on his face and his lack of emotion made Liz angry.

She ground her teeth together trying not to scream at him through resonance. Should Kid make a sound he might alert whoever was in the other room to come in there and catch the three of them red handed.

"Something wrong?" Kid inquired, trying to both put Patty into a holster without dropping the phone books.

"You left us you jack ass! You left us at a murder scene with a dead body, what the hell were you thinking?" Liz screamed, unable to bite her tongue any longer. Her cheeks flushed over in anger, and it was a good thing he probably couldn't see her right now. Liz wasn't pretty when she was angry. She was more of the vein-popping, beet red face type who took on the appearance of a wrathful daemon than the cute girly type boys thought were attractive. Liz never pouted or stamped her foot when she got mad, she was a maniac looking for blood. Being aware of it made her take absurd lengths to hide that part of her.

"We needed to get the phone books and I figured after sitting through one reap you wouldn't want to sit through four more so I went on without you."

"You could have mentioned it. Someone is here! You idiot, we need to leave before we get caught."Liz screamed in frustration. Even in gun form she could feel the weight of the AKS-47 pressing against her back.

"You really don't have worry Liz." Kid said off-handedly.

"You don't think being discovered with a dead body is something to worry about? Can you use that special reaper magic to wipe people's minds or something?"

Kid paused for a moment to consider the question and the local authorities came into the room.

Liz froze in terror but the cops moved around Kid as if he wasn't even there. Then one stepped right through him to get a better look at the body.

"Oh my god you're a ghost!" Liz screamed.

"Well no, nothing like that, but reapers do travel between plains of reality." Kid returned to the main part of the store and went straight to another phone book buried in a drawer.

"How did you know where the phone book was? Patty and I looked all over this dump."

"The young lady on the floor told me where it was. I just hope it's not too outdated." Kid said, absentmindedly flipping through the book, "After all they haven't printed one since the early Saddam Hussein era."

More law enforcement officers entered the small pawn shop as Kid exited it. He summoned a mirror from nowhere, and stepped into it.

"It's perfectly okay Liz. Everything is just fine. We're leaving now and we're taking the books back - everything is good. "

_It's not fine, I'm sick of it._ Liz thought to herself. _I'm always looking out for everyone else, when is someone going to look out for me? _She didn't dare voice those thoughts out loud because it would hurt Kid's and Patty's feelings but whether she wanted to admit it or not she was bitter. She'd thought moving in with Kid would solve everything: they'd be treated like princesses, she would be able to provide for Patty, and they would no longer be living on the streets. Liz hadn't counted on having to look after another child, keep him out of trouble and rescue him from constant emotional breakdowns. She loved Patty and Kid but she was the mother figure who held everything together and she was still just a kid herself. Patty was discovering new things about herself and becoming independent, Kid was getting married and had his whole damned life planned out, but what had she found? Nothing. Nothing but a shit load more problems. Her heroin addict of a mother was still alive, still with the man she had left the two of them for, and was somehow wrapped up in all this zombie mess. Liz ripped at her long blond hair in frustration. Where the hell was her prince, god damn it? Who the hell was going to help her with her problems?

Liz watched as the orange light surrounded Kid again but to a lesser extent than before. He was using different magic this time, summoning mirrors to move through out of thin air. Kid holstered both guns and sprinted through the Mc. Escher-esque landscape of mirrors and black in white tiled floors. Liz felt her stomach twist into knots out of anger and sheer confusion. She seldom cried, but she couldn't help shed a few frustrated tears.

"Something wrong?" Patty and Kid asked in unison as they felt the shift of her emotions through their group resonance.

"Nothing - just get us back to the rest of the team before one of our mothers takes the opportunity to lop off one of our heads while we're out in the open like this."

Kid nodded as he darted back in forth through lines of mirrors that appeared just as his feet touched them. "You're right. You really are smart Liz; I hadn't even considered the tactical disadvantage of coming out here alone like this."

_I'd rather be with someone than smart _Liz moped to herself_. God, I sound pathetic._

"You worried about fighting Mom and Gunter?" Patty asked.

"Aren't you? Gunter almost killed you once already." Liz snapped.

Kid's face went pale and he nearly tripped and missed the next mirror.

"He what?"

Patty's voice sounded dangerous. "I've gotten a lot stronger since then. I'm actually pretty anxious to give him a little payback."

"And what about the crack whore?" Liz growled.

"What about mom? She'll probably snort herself to death before we ever get a chance to hit her. She sounds like she's as crazy and strung out as she used to be. Frankly I don't give a crap what happens to mom. I just forget about her."

Liz's nerves eased a bit but she still wasn't satisfied. "How can you forget someone who tried to sell you in a bar?"

This time Kid stopped cold in his tracks and looked down at the guns strapped to his vest. He'd never heard that particular story before and he shivered in horror.

"How come this is the first time I'm hearing any of this." He asked, unconsciously tightening his grip on the phone books.

Patty ignored Kid's question. "The way I remember it she tried to sell us both, not just me."

"I hate her." Liz whimpered. She dried her eyes on her hand and bellowed back to Kid. "Get a move on Kid; I don't want us to be stuck out here like this."

Kid finally continued on, unable to find the words he wanted. The word 'sold' kept echoing through his mind. Someone had tried to sell the girls. His sisters. Tried to sell them for money or sex, or...Kid couldn't fathom it. He wanted to ask but it burned his belly to do so. He tumbled through the final portal awkwardly and nearly fell into the room where Tsubaki and Maka huddled around the maps.

Kid flung the books down on the floor startling the rest of the group. He noticed the room looked a lot bigger than when he had left but didn't bother asking why. He slumped against the shattered remains of the wall clutching the two guns in his hands. He pressed their grips against his forehead and looked like he might be sick, kill somebody, or both.

"What's wrong?" Maka worried, rising from the map she had been going over with Soul.

"I really don't know anything about the two of you. Why wasn't I told about this?" Kid said out loud, confusing everyone in the room.

"It's in the past Aniki. None of it matters, you're our family now." Patty said cheerfully.

Liz twisted back to her human form, disturbed by Patty's words. "It's not in the past. Gunter and the stupid crack whore are back! He almost killed you before and he's going to try it again."

"What happened?" Black Star snapped nervously while waiting for Patty to transform. When she did Black Star looked her over from top to bottom searching for cuts and bruises that didn't show. Patty was in tip top condition but seemed mildly angry.

"Quit living in the past Liz. You can't be afraid of everything!"

"You're being careless. Gunter is a freaking zombie, our mother is some sort of murderous witch and the way Gunter talked to us last time...that line about being into sisters and us taking mother's place. That was just disturbed. He wants to hurt us."

"Let him try. I'll kill him this time." Patty snarled.

"You're not invincible Patty!"

"Jesus Liz. So Gunter tried to feel you up a long time ago, what are you going do? Just sit in the corner and cry about it? You should just be pissed like I am, he ain't nothing and this time I'm going to prove it to you."

Kid stepped between them just as Liz raised her hand to hit Patty. The striking noise echoed through the building as it came down on Kid's cheek. Swarms of birds fled into the sky at the startling noise of flesh meeting flesh. For a second Kid thought Patty was going to hit him in the face too but Black Star was pulling her away while Kid stood in front of Liz helplessly. The warm stagnant air pushed against his cheek and made the sting worse.

"Calm down. It's okay." He said, "You're just worried because things have been kind of tense lately and that's my fault. I'm trying to correct it."

"Not everything in the world revolves around you, asshole." Black Star spat over Patty's shrieking and growling. He struggled to restrain her as she tried to wiggle free.

"I didn't say it was. You and Soul have been pissed off at me because of my relationship with Maka, and I understand. I take complete responsibility for putting strain on the team."

"Kid, you don't have to apologize for anything. If they have issues because we're together than that's their problem." Maka glared around the room, daring anybody to argue with her.

"I'm calm now, you can let go." Patty told Black Star. Black Star thought better of that and kept a firm hold. Patty stomped on his foot and slid out of his grip while he hopped around crazily.

Liz's face was anything but calm. Now she felt angry and betrayed. "I can't believe you told our secrets to everyone like that Patty. You're my sister; I thought we were closer than that."

"We are close but you need to let our friends know. Kid doesn't like us hiding secrets from him and real families share burdens like this. If we don't tell everybody then we're putting them at risk too."

Maka walked from Soul's side to Patty's and placed a hand on her shoulder which seemed to reassure the younger girl. Liz scowled at Patty before giving in. "You're right. Gunter is a really sick person and it's important that all of us girls are vigilant around him. He's more than just violent; he's predatory when it comes to young girls. We've both had firsthand experience with it."

"When we told mom about it she acted like she blamed us, like Liz tried to come onto him and I was just being unruly. " Patty growled. Tsubaki gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Soul and Black Star were utterly shocked and Maka looked murderous.

"He nearly beat Patty to death when she ignored one of his advances." Liz said darkly. In her head she was trying to remove herself from the entire situation and just see it as Patty who'd been hurt. In reality she had suffered the most. Being older more developed and being considered the pretty one had brought more woe to her than her younger sister.

"I'll kill him." Kid growled ruthlessly. His reaper's robes started coiling around him like smoke."I'll kill him and send him straight to the seventh ring of hell after I tear his soul to shreds. Why didn't you tell me about this before? Souls like that don't deserve to walk around." His eyes glowed with malevolence and Maka came over to take his hand and try to calm him down.

Soul wiped the sweat from his paling face. "No one should treat women that way – that's as uncool as it can get. I'm sorry you went through that and even sorrier you felt the need to hide it but we need to know more. Does this guy have any weakness other than being a sicko and liking little kids? Is he an alcoholic is he a smoker, use certain weapons? Does he have any sort of repetitive patterns we could use to trap and kill him? Anything you can think of could really be a huge help. "

Liz lip began to bleed from biting it so hard, and her tears left trails on her dirty face. "Gunter always drank; he could pound it back like crazy with no effect. Now that I think of it, he never seemed to eat. But then again he was just one of mom's johns; he could have been eating before he came over. "

"I don't think he was human even back then." Patty announced. She made her way to Liz and squeezed her sister's shoulder as a form of peace offering. "We can do this. You and I. I know you feel helpless and I know you're scared Liz but there are more people to lean on now than just you and me."

"Yes!" Tsubaki said, louder than necessary. A swarm of ravens jumped from the rooftops at the strength in her voice. "What one of us feels all of us do. We'll get even for the atrocities Gunter has committed. There's no need to be afraid, Liz. We will kill him, and we will restore balance to death." Tsubaki grabbed Liz up in a fierce hug. "There is a proverb in my country that says 'Gain from your opponent without sacrificing your own strength.' Liz you need to turn that pain and all that fright into your strength - you can't just keep on hiding like this."

Liz sniffled for a second before nodding her head and burying it against Tsubaki's shoulder. "I'll try. I'm just scared." She sobbed. Tsubaki teared up as well.

Black Star made his way back to the crumbled wall and began kicking bits of it into the other room. Tsubaki was hurting, Liz was terrified, Maka was acting weird and being near all these crying girls made him feel really uncomfortable. His brain ran through the information that Liz and Patty had given them.

"You know Patty said something that stands out to me," he announced, "You said you didn't even think he was human back then. What if he's wasn't, what if he's not a witch or something Kid's rotten mother created? We haven't considered that. What if he's someone else's mess, and he's been around for a long time?" Black Star mistook the shocked stare the rest of the team gave him. "Eh, what do I know right? I'm just the fists of this operation."

"What's with you?" Maka asked softly, breaking the silence.

"I don't know, maybe it's all this weird stuff. First someone kills Tsubaki's dad then they bring him back as a zombie, then we find out your mom is a zombie and of course there's Patty's and Liz's mom who, according to Patty, was pretty much a zombie even when she was alive. Wouldn't it make sense that this Gunter idiot is a zombie too? If he is then Kid's mom couldn't really be the cause of it because she was still with Kid and his dad until seven years ago. Liz's mom abandoned them for this Gunter guy before that. The math just doesn't add up. "

Soul snorted loudly "Since when can you do math?"

"I'm good at math thank you very much. It's English and reading I suck at."

"Yeah, but that's not your fault!" Maka said defensively, "You're dyslexic and English isn't your first language, plus you got started in school late."

"What you've forgiven me for being a dumb ass now?" Black Star coughed and fanned the building dust away from his face. He dropped to the floor and began to do pushups, trying to remove the tension. Maka plopped down on his back to try to stop him but Black Star acted like the additional weight didn't even faze him and just continued to work out.

"I'm not mad at you. I haven't been irritated even the slightest at you lately, for some reason you just seem more mature and easier to talk to." Maka told him as she stared at the muscles in his back as Black Star continued to do pushups.

"Yeah well I'm irritated by you." Black Star shot back.

Maka jumped of Black Star's back quickly, afraid he was referring to the added weight she she'd put on him.

"I'm sorry." Maka gulped, taken aback.

"Lately you're all wrapped up in your goofy relationship and I really don't think you're taking the fact that some supernatural force is gunning for you seriously enough."

Soul shot a rather wicked look in Kid's direction and gave Black Star a shit eating grin.

"Maka, I told you before to not worry about all this turning point crap but I never told you to stop thinking about finding a way to get out of it. It seems like you're just throwing it all on Kid; like he's supposed to do something to save your ass."

"No, I-you don't..." Maka gabbled.

"Maybe Soul, Kid and your dad were right. If you're just to wimp out and do nothing, maybe you ought to just chill out in the netherworld with Lord Death until we get this taken care of."

Maka's face turned red. She was so angry that when she opened her mouth no words came out.

"I think that's a bit much Black Star." Tsubaki corrected sternly. She looked at him with dark eyes that held wisdom beyond her years. Black Star stared at Tsubaki, noticing just how much she had changed lately and it creeped him. She felt light years away from him, and maybe the deaths of her brother and her father were pushing her into adulthood quicker than he was ready to admit.

"Miss Nygus and Professor Stein were right. We're all carrying too much emotional baggage. No wonder they gave us this stupid recon zombie mission." Tsubaki mumbled.

Soul turned his head toward her and asked "What was that Tsubaki?"

Tsubaki cleared her voice and got to her feet, "I said Stein was right we aren't emotionally prepared to be on any mission right now. We need to just forget everything that's happened so far, and just work together as a team. No more past from this moment. From now on we need just have one agenda and that's to kill Gunter and stop the creation of more zombies. If we keep arguing like this we're not just jeopardizing the team or our friendship, we're all likely to get hurt or wind up dead."

"Tsubaki's right." Kid whispered softly.

Black Star shook off the advice and laid back into Maka.

"No you're wrong Tsubaki, someone needs to tell her cause Kid doesn't have the balls and she's too pissed at Soul to listen to him. You need to come back down to earth and face your problems dead on like you use to do, Maka."

"Amen to that!" Soul agreed loudly.

"What exactly do you expect me to do? I think I've been pretty mature about this whole situation." Maka snapped.

"I want you to get angry and do something about it, not wait on somebody else to save you. I want you to do something yourself Maka! Right now you're nothing but a worthless quitter." Black Star yelled.

Maka stomped her foot against the dusty floor and sent a puff of dust into the air. "What the hell do you know about it? I'm getting sick and tired of everyone telling me that hiding out in the Never After with Lord Death is going to solve the problem. I'm sick and tired of everyone thinking that my not being with Kid would solve the problem. The reality is there is no solution to this problem, so it doesn't matter what I do or don't do. I'm going to die. It's already a done deal. My number is up and it was up the day I got sick. I'm on borrowed time already. I've been tiptoeing around all of you so you wouldn't be worried but I'm scared shitless right now.

What Bella Morte did to me ended any normal life I could have had. What do you think is going to happen to me when I lose all my turning points huh? That things will just go back to normal? Well they won't, because even if I manage to live through all of the eight turning points I have left I still die. The only thing that gives me any comfort is that if I make it through I'll get a chance to use my death to do some good by becoming a Shinigami like Kid. And understand this, all of you: I'm not becoming a reaper to cheat death or just so that I can stay with Kid so don't get any stupid ideas. I want to help people. Stopping Gunter and our mothers and getting through those turning points is what I'm fighting for, Black Star. It's not going to do me or anybody else any good to try to fight the rest of it. Get it through your thick head. I'm standing here arguing with you but I'm dead!" Frustration and feeling helpless had finally reached its boiling point in Maka. She backhanded Black Star with one of her famous Maka chops and stomped out side. A moment later they heard a petulant scream of frustration and the sound of fists and boots beating against the rough wall of the building.

Kid looked quietly at the scared and shocked looks on his friends' faces. "We didn't tell you because Maka didn't want you to be worried or treat her differently. My mother cursed Maka in a way that has caused her turning points to come more rapidly and more determinedly than they should. She could stay safe in the Never After for a while but she's human and she can't stay down there forever. The minute she comes out the Grand Design will be waiting for her even if we wipe out every enemy we have. Once it's been started the Grand Design can't be stopped. If you could see and hear the things I do you'd hear Maka's clock winding down and you could see the light of the Grand Design around her marking her for death. It's getting stronger all the time and its happening because my mother wants to hurt me like the rest of you have been hurt. One way or another I have to watch her die and I can't stop it. This team is a mess and Maka's dying because I love her and that's why I said it's my fault, Black Star."

Black Star stared at Kid for minute and rubbed his throbbing head. "Oh."

Patty began to choke and wheeze. Her chest felt full and tight and her eyes stung. "But you said we could get her through her turning points and everything would be okay. You said it would be okay, Aniki!"

"It will be okay," Kid said sadly, "As okay as I can make it. If she gets through all eight turning points, Maka has decided her afterlife will be spent helping others as a Shinigami. But if she doesn't make it through the turning points, if one of them kills her, she'll be gone forever. We'll lose her. I can't let that happen." Kid's face got hard and he clenched his teeth to keep his emotions under control.

"She's going to die." Soul snarled. "And you two didn't think it was important to tell the rest of us? Don't you think that was kind of a bastard move to make? I don't know about the rest of you but I'm dealing with enough shit right now without Maka dropping dead as special surprise." He stalked outside and came back dragging Maka by the collar.

"Quit having a fit out there, you stupid idiot." He growled. "I swear you're so uncool! I –." He broke off and grabbed Maka by the shoulders, shaking her until her teeth rattled. "God damn it, why the hell couldn't you tell me? Why didn't you at least tell me?" Soul's gravelly voice caught in his throat. He let go of Maka and slid to the floor. "All this time, all this time I've been thinking this reaper crap was just because you were fixated on being with Kid. You didn't say it was your only way of surviving. I would never have said..." He broke off and his shoulders shook, but he didn't make a sound. He scrubbed at his face with his hands, too overwhelmed to continue.

Maka crouched in front of him, "I wanted to that day in the kitchen. But we were so mad at each other and then finding out about your brother and Tsubaki's dad…" she looked up at the others, "Everyone losing family members, this Gunter guy…our mothers…we were having so many problems already and I wanted things to be as normal as they could be for the little time I have left. It was selfish of me. I wasn't thinking about anybody but myself and I'm so sorry."

She reached out to Soul and he grabbed her in a rough hug. Patty ran over and threw her arms around them both. Liz was staring a hole through Maka as if she wasn't even there.

"Maka carries those lights around her like we just saw?"

"Yes." Kid whispered unsteadily. He looked at Liz's uneasy eyes, and then at Tsubaki's tearful ones. Black Star stood off to himself with his back turned. His fist shook and every muscle was tense, as if he was trying to hold back an explosion of anger and keep it all to himself.

"We just had those lights all over us when we traveled." Liz said softly. "Does that mean me and Patty-?"

"NO!" Kid growled abruptly, cutting heroff.

"Then how does it work? You haven't explained that part to me. I don't understand." Liz waved her hands in exasperation.

"She doesn't understand because she's not a reaper. None of us understand half the shit you're talking about most of the time Kid." Soul snorted, getting to his feet. "You hide shit from us and we're supposed to accept that death is just a big reaper secret and maybe that's the way it's supposed to be, but if you need our help fighting against this thing then maybe you ought to just spell it out. Like what is this light all over Maka that only you can see? What does it mean, and why can't the rest of us see it?"

"It's death's highlighter." Maka growled annoyed, "Well that's what the orange is for anyway. It marks folks for Kid so he knows who to reap. It means their time is up and he can take their souls gently. It's the purple crap I'm worried about. That's the Grand Design, and when it comes it means a hard, miserable death if Kid can't get there first. It means some crazy freakish bad luck stuff is going to kill me because it's been set to get me on purpose if Belle and Gunter don't finish me off first, which I'm not going to let happen."

Kid cleared his throat and glanced at Soul who was looking at him for a better answer. "She's been marked by the Grand Design and death is actively seeking her but we're going to alter Maka's future by changing the turning points and forcing them to go our way. Being a reaper gives me a few extra seconds of insight when things are going wrong and and we can use it as a sort of early detection system. It's not completely foolproof, though. There aren't many turning points left and it's a race to the finish. I'm not going to let Maka die in the traditional sense of the word if I can possibly help it. And I'll need you all to help me get her through the rest of the turning points so she has the chance to turn into a Shinigami and stay here right with the rest of us. "

Why not just turn her into a Shinigami now? Then there wouldn't be a chance of losing her." Liz wondered out loud.

"Getting through the turning points is going to be easy right? Why can't we just have Black Star jump off a cliff with her a few more times and use them all up? Then Maka will be okay, right Kid?" Patty asked eagerly.

"It's not that easy anymore. The Grand Design is going to throw everything it's got at Maka to make sure she doesn't make it past the eighth point and my mother is helping it along. If we take any risks trying to use up the turning points they'll be exploited. The cliff would crumble under their feet. Or they wouldn't make the landing. Somehow something would go wrong. The only way to get her through this is to wait for someone to make a move and make sure it fails." Kid answered.

"Not that I want anything to happen to Maka, but isn't that unethical - changing a person's natural life?" Tsubaki asked sharply. "Deciding who gets to live and who gets to die all on your own? Saving some people and letting the rest suffer?" she was being harsh with him and Kid knew she was thinking of her father's torn soul.

"Originally I agreed with you Tsubaki, but to be honest I'm just not sure anymore. We're dealing with unnatural death, magic used to twist the Grand Design to its' own purpose, so why can't we fight what's not supposed to happen in the first place? I used to think that death was final and not to be muddled with no matter what the cause, but a lot of things I thought were black and white don't seem to be lately." Kid put his arm around Maka and kissed her forehead.

Black Star's finally spoke. "Oh, I'm going to muddle with death, all right. I'm gonna kick that Grand Design's ass and show it who's boss. "

Soul burst out laughing so hard it nearly brought tears to his eyes. Hearing one of Black Star's old arrogant remarks was a glimmer of normalcy in the middle of all the upheaval and uncertainty. Black Star turned to face the rest of the group and addressed Kid.

"I get that you've just been trying to keep Maka alive. You protect the people you love. But now we're all in this, understand? No more fooling around. Shit starts going down you warn us, Kid. We'll keep the bad guys back while you keep Maka safe with whatever magic reaper voodoo bullshit you've got. I'll do whatever it takes to help you."

"Oh sure, he's gonna keep her safe, all right." Soul said sarcastically.

"Jesus, Soul let it go already. It's not important anymore. You wanna keep having pissing matches with Kid or do you want to keep Maka from disappearing off the face of the earth?" Black Star said sharply.

Maka gave him a dirty look "Soul you promised."

"Yeah I did promise. I don't have a problem with Kid. The problem I have is with you, Maka."

"Here we go again." Maka huffed.

"You're my partner; I know you better than anybody. The minute something starts happening you're going to want us to be right in the middle of it because you're so damned stubborn you won't watch your own ass." Soul said, pointing at her.

"Soul's right, Kitten. You can't be in on this. You won't make it through." Kid said and Maka's face grew mutinous.

"You want me to just sit back and do nothing after all the shit Black Star just gave me? No way."

"The important thing is getting you through this safely." Kid said sternly.

"The asshole Gunter or one of our screwed up mothers comes after me I'm gonna hack them into a thousand pieces and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" Maka snarled.

Soul gave Kid a rueful smile. "I hope you understand what you're getting into, man. I've lived with her for years and this only gets worse. Good luck with that."

Kid looked back at him in surprise and then cautiously smiled back.

"Look, I'm not saying you shouldn't defend yourself." Soul argued back to Maka. "But you can't be on the offensive. I can handle this one on my own." Soul gave her a lazy grin and turned both arms into wicked scythe blades. I might have gotten a couple of pointers from Tsubaki and your dad. I am a Death Scythe after all." He stared at her hard.

Maka ran her hand through her pig tails nervously. "We'll see." She tossed her helmet aside and swiped at the sweat and grime which had accumulated on her face. "We've wasted enough time on this crap. Let's get to work." She said gruffly, reaching for one of the phone books Kid had collected.

"Maka, your dad said to keep that gear on." Black Star huffed loudly fanning at his sweat drenched shirt.

"Really what's the worst that can happen?" Maka snapped back. She leaned down laying the helmet on the floor and began shuffling the maps up to her chest. A large black raven flew in the window and landed on the map. It cawed at her loudly, dancing back and forth.

Thehe bird snapped at Maka's fingers fearlessly and prevented her from picking up the final map. Maka tried to shoo the bird but it bounded away from her grasp and cawed back at her, beating its wings at her.

From the outside of a building the loud blast of a car backfiring sent the students down to their knees ducking for cover. The raven began gagging on something. It made loud coughing noises before spitting out a small golden brown crows eye.

Maka stared in horror at the repulsive bit of eye lying on her map. But she started to move away and felt something all over her. Her hands and limbs were wrapped in purple light. She made a motion to dust the cobweb-like feeling off her but found it felt more like glue this time. She looked up at her friends but none of them noticed the waves or purple light flowing on to her skin. They stared at the crows eye, who's bloody tendrils looked up lifelessly from the map. There was one set of eyes on her though now, a golden set and they were widened with horror.

"It's happening!" Kid yelled, "The Grand Design found her!"

Another bang rang from outside was followed by a wet gurgling noise. Somewhere in the distance a violin cut through the desert air playing a tune Maka knew well. Mozart's Concerto no 5. The sweet melody turned shrill and then switched to Sonata in G minor by Bach. In the blink of an eye Kid scooped up Maka's cast off helmet and slapped it down over her eyes.

"Shit! They're here!" Soul screamed. Barbs of piano wire began skewering the room just as Kid yanked Maka into his chest and dove out of the way. He couldn't risk crossing the Ghost Plain knowing that his mother might be waiting for them there but he could keep dipping in and out of reality quickly and make Maka harder to hit if he could keep the Grand Design off of her.

"A warrior scream pierced the air as a woman leapt through a window swinging a two handed sword. She hit the support walls and cleaved through them as if she was chopping down a tree. Her blond hair danced in the dusty wind as she brought the building down on top of them.

Patty and Liz had already transformed and flipped into Kids' grip but his arms stayed thoroughly planted around Maka with the guns crossed over her back.

"What the hell are you waiting for? Get her out of here!" Soul hollered as the building began crumbling around them. Sickle shaped spines leapt from his legs and he sliced at the tar-covered witch in front of him. Murder hadn't gathered all her crows yet and was still forming, so Tsubaki and Black Star left Soul to handle her and went after the other woman with the massive blade.

"You know your husband and everyone always said that you were real hot shit Kami. Frankly I don't see why. You've been called the one of the best Meisters there ever was." Black Star said snidely. He wrapped Tsubaki's chain around the long handled sword. He kneed Kami in the stomach and smacked her head against the same knee. Her lip split and pungent green blood trickled from it.

"You're just overrated and all used up. Of course you're not the real Kami are you?" Black Star yelled scathingly, hitting Kami with a spinning foot kick. He bounced back away from her sword and a large chunk of the ceiling hit him square in the forehead right before the roof came down. As the rubble fell Black Star stared at the spot Kid and Maka had been and watched Soul leap out the window after Murder who was still trying to pull herself together with a hoard of angry soul birds in hot pursuit.

Kami laughed, easily dodging the collapsing building. She put the heel of her boot down on the rubble trapping Black Star. "If I'm not the real Kami I doubt I'd be able to do that, now would I you little punk?"

Kami dabbed at her bleeding lip with sapphire handkerchief as Black Star coughed up blood on the cement in front of him.

"Nah, the real Kami wouldn't have been caught off guard so easy." Black Star coughed again as Kami ground the heavy chunk of flooring into his chest.

Tsubaki rushed up and swung a katana style blade at the blonde's throat, making a deep gash along the woman's wind pipe. Her eyes darkened as she pulled the blade back to lop off Kami's head, but her blade made contact with another Japanese style Katana.

Black Star used his feet to push the cement off his chest and sent it straight into Kami, who was gulping like a fish out of water. The green emerald necklace around her throat fell into the wound Tsubaki had given her and the thick gold chain fell inward to the cavern of her throat.

Black Star didn't waste time. He gathered himself and his eyes locked onto Tsubaki's opponent. The Japanese swordsman's face was pale and the veins clearly visible under his skin. He parried his daughter's swings over and over and Tsubaki was losing ground. Her foot hit the rubble that had once been the building they'd made their base. It looked like a massive amount of explosives had been detonated inside it.

"Outousan stop this!"Tsubaki shrieked, blindly swinging the katana she had brought with her from the pile of weapons at the school.

"There is only Seppuku. There is no Outousan, not any more", the zombie growled as the katanas rang against each other. Tsubaki's foot twisted as she tried to move up the mound where Black Star was standing. The sun above cast his shadow down on and she listed to his voice instead of the grunts of her opponent.

"Quit trying to be the star and do this on your own Tsubaki. Transform already."

Tsubaki smirked to herself and turned into a black katana. Its' blade glowed fiery red as Black Stars eyes switched from normal to star crossed. The sword she had been using clattered to the ground as Black Star raised two of his fingers in front of him and used the other to hold shivering blade in position.

"You ready for this?" he asked through resonance.

"Yes" Tsubaki whispered, finding comfort in the darkness. Merging with Black Star washed away all her fears; she wouldn't have to fight her father. Black Star would do it, and Black Star wasn't afraid of anything. She felt Black Star lift from the ground in silence and then ninja and the samurai were pounding steel against steel. The blade forged from Tsubaki's soul chipped at her father's blade and Black Star sent him parrying back.

Nearby Soul was doing a fine job, of soloing Kami. The blond swung at him with the heavy handed sword slicing the air as if it were a scythe or a battle axe. Soul managed to sidestep in and jammed his scythe arm into her ribs. Green spurted from her wounds, but Soul was having less luck avoiding the wire his brother was whipping around.

Soul growled irritably and used a projectile launch with his right elbow. He flung the curved blade out like a boomerang, and it sliced through the wires Rasp was sending forth.

"You seem like your getting better little brother. You're fighting differently than before."

"Oh how nice of you to notice," Soul growled, taunting Rasp to come after him. "Yeah I've had a lot of time lately - been practicing by myself a lot more instead of just relying on Maka, and I was given a couple of pointers by a very intelligent female ninja. She's pretty damn amazing; a lot better weapon than you. Not that it's hard considering you're a complete noob at this."

Soul slid under the array of wire flipped at him and used Kami as a shield. For an instant the zombified face of his brother contorted into one of fear. He eyed Kami, assessing at the damage he'd done to his comrade just as Kid slipped behind him and spun Maka toward him. He was moving Maka around the battle field as if she were a chess piece, while Maka used the Thompson sisters to slap holes into anything that got in her way. And Wes was in her way.

Soul watch distractedly as crazy-looking purple and black energy burst from Kid's fingers and he pulled a mirror out of nowhere. Kid whirled Maka around and drove them both through the mirror with a weird dancing motion. Soul couldn't see what Kid was trying to avoid but he was awed by the amount of power Kid was throwing around. Then Kami hit the mirror with her sword and it disappeared. Its contained magic exploded outward, blowing her into a nearby building as Kid and Maka reappeared across the street.

Kid looked at the ground and saw that the purple light was thinner and less pulled together in some places than others. The purple light moved like clouds rolling in over the mountains. Dangerous clouds. Already he had seen turning point: the wall falling down, the stray wire that nearly pierced Maka's forehead when Rasp missed Soul. The Grand Design was hitting Maka hard and to say she was accident prone right now seemed a little bit of an understatement.

Unfortunately without the calming anti-madness wave she gave off, Kid was unable to fire just one gun again. Instead he let Maka use Patty and Liz while he tried to keep her out of harm's way long enough to get her the hell away from the battlefield.

Liz exploded into her human form and jerked Maka away from the tip of Tsubaki's father sword. Somehow they'd landed right in-between the duel between Black Star and Seppuku. Kid concentrated on making a mirror form on his left side and then he shoved Maka through it. Unfortunately that left the Thompson sisters unprotected in human form. Patty reached out for her sister and in an instant of split second understanding Liz turned back into a weapon. Patty released a hail of bullets, comfortable with her grip and her wild crazy shots. They ricocheted this way and that and Kid thought she was shooting blindly until he noticed through the fine line of the ghost plane that all the bullets were pushing at Kami in order to send her into one of Soul's blows.

"I'm useless." Maka screamed, frustrated and angry on the other side of the mirror.

Kid couldn't say anything to make her feel better and he noticed the black crows were swarming again. Murder was trying to pull herself together. The birds had been distracted by the soul ravens that had engaged them in fierce battle. While his back was turned Maka saw a zombie appear behind Kid and she jumped back through the mirror to save him.

A few of the fighting ravens and crows ripped along their faces and Maka ducked out of the zombie's reach, dragging Kid down with her. Patty began snapping shots off at the sky. The sun was setting zombies were appearing from the darkness and shadows that had started to move in.

Maka used a flying roundhouse kick on the zombie that had nearly grabbed Kid. It fell back into a group of them that were gathering and Kid used his magic to push them back and away from Maka. The purple light faded around Maka as the sun moved down into the sand dunes which gave Kid a glimmer of hope. Kid watched as Patty and Liz switched places. Liz pulled off a quick set of controlled shots, concentrating on only one target. Her eyes blazed as she brought the pistol level with her arm.

"Stupid crack whore, its Humpty Dumpty time for you. I'll kill all of these birds and leave you lying in so many pieces that you won't have anything left to put back together."

Liz grinned maliciously and stepped up her pace; snapping off shots like Kid had ever seen her do before. Maka too seemed to stare at Liz but then she abruptly knocked Kid to the ground just as explosion of earth burst from the ground.

Kid's eyes fell on Maka fearing the worst, but the earth shattering boom had come from another direction closer to Liz.

"Black Star!" Liz screeched as the dirt and dust cleared. She saw the ninja drop to one knee and she skidded across the broken dirt to the road just as Seppuku slithered up behind him and raised his Wakazashi into the air. Black Star had only been holding Tsubaki's father back, not wanting to kill him in front of her and now it was too late.

"No!" Liz screamed, looking for help. Kid and Maka were on the far side of the battlefield. Soul was closer, but he'd never make it to Black Star in time.

"Shoot the bastard Liz! Shoot him NOW!" Patty screamed inside Liz's head.

Seppuku's blade whistled through the air as it came down on Black star's head. Black Star knew he couldn't avoid the killing blow and used his final seconds throw Tsubaki's gleaming dark blade across the field toward Soul. A shot rang out and Seppuku's hand twisted away from Black Star and dropped the blade. Liz watched in horror as her mother stepped in to finish the attack. She clubbed Black Star repeatedly across the head and he crumpled to the ground. Liz fired a second and then a third shot at her mother, but the bullets spun uselessly through her inky form. Murder lifted Black Star up by the throat and arched her arm back to skewer him on her long claws and Liz did the only thing she could think of.

She ran. Her combat boots seemed to hit the dust in slow motion as she pulled her shoulders in and flung herself into her mother. Murder's whole form bent and separated in a liquid fashion. She twisted up her head to stare at Liz while her lower half engulfed Black Star in her inky blackness. Her mouth opened in a silent scream and oily tar burst forth across Liz's face. The thick liquid felt suffocating out in the heat as it soaked into her desert fatigues and slid down her chin into her mouth.

Liz tried to throw Patty free and save her the way Black Star had saved Tsubaki but the gluey substance that poured from her mother had already covered her hand.

"I hate you!" She coughed as the viscous liquid forced its way into her eyes and nostrils. The last thing she remembered was feeling alone and wondering how her limbs could feel so cold when the desert heat had been burning them only moments before. The tar ran across her head and into Liz's long hair as she fell limp, staining it grey and black.

Soul ran to protect Maka, yelling "Kid, go! I've got her!"

Kid screamed in panic and threw everything he could at the never ending mass of zombies that ripped and tore at any part of him they could reach. "Liz-hold on Liz!"

He screamed until nothing came from him but animalistic cries. Something snapped inside him as he ran and his heart and soul shuddered. As they did, the first and second lines of Sanzu connected and blue lightning erupted across the battle ground, twisting into a mushroom cloud dispersal of power. Soul quickly grabbed Tsubaki's blade from the ground and slammed into Maka, knocking her into the dust as he covered her and Tsubaki with his body. White hot fire and static electricity shot over them and Maka and Soul felt their hair stand on end as Kid leveled the entire army of zombies.

"We're leaving! Retreat now." Rasp bellowed. He slashed at Soul's inert form at it with a tight line of piano wire as he ran past it. "Cut your losses and run you idiots!"

Murder winked at Kid before exploding into a flock of crows and disappearing. Rasp used his wires to push him upward and landed near Seppuku, who plunged the wakazashi into the ground. A mouth of earth swallowed them second before Kid's wave of raw power reached them.

Kid skidded to a stop and looked around in a dead panic. "Patty! Did anyone see Patty?" he panted, barely able to speak.

"She was with Liz and with…Black Star." Tsubaki cried, "I can't believe he tossed me away like that. What was he thinking why didn't he…why didn't he hit my fa-father-oh god Black Star!"

Tsubaki began weeping hysterically and Maka reached over Soul to hold her friend. "It's okay. We'll get him back; we'll get them all back. He's with Liz and Patty and they're pretty resourceful. It will be okay."

"Liz was unconscious. She tried to save Black Star from that witch." Tsubaki cried.

"She won't kill them. She's Liz and Patty's mother, she couldn't kill them right?" Kid wailed, "They're not dead, if they died I would feel it, right? Patty and Liz and Black Star have the sense not to run off. Their souls would still be here."

Soul nudged Maka with his elbow. "He's freaking out. You need to do something." He said quietly.

Kid shook and babbled in panic, "Their mother can't be like mine. She just abandoned them. She's not going to kill them, right? She won't kill them?"

"But what about Black Star?" Tsubaki shrieked. "She doesn't know him! What's to stop her from killing Black Star?"

Kid rocked back on his heels again began to pace the sand. "If they were dead their souls would be here. There aren't any souls to reap so they aren't dead. Patty and Liz would come to me." Kid assured himself. He felt his stomach lurch and he began gagging as Tsubaki's wails grew even louder.

Maka felt like hitting them both. She wanted to smother Tsubaki and then knock Kid senseless but she rose from her place on the sand, pushed Tsubaki into Soul's arms and went for Kid. She understood why they were panicking but she was violent with misplaced fury. Those assholes had the audacity to steal her friends, and she would end them. She grabbed hold of Kid and shook him a few times.

"Stop it and get a hold of yourself. They aren't dead. Quit questioning your logic. We will get them back. I swear it!" Maka snarled, staring at him with rage in her eyes. She was mad as hell and Gunter and Company were damn well going regret pissing her off when she got a hold of them.

Kid seemed to deflate and he wrapped himself around Maka's body, but she was in no mood to be gentle with anyone. She wanted blood. She grabbed Kid's neck roughly and crushed his head against her shoulder.

"They're dead. My fault all my fault. I should have had them both in my hands."

Maka kicked at the cracked earth under her feet, twisting her combat boot into the ground.

"It's okay." She told him venomously. "We will get them back. Calm down Kid. I'm right here. I need you to be strong right now; can you do that for me? We can't fall apart. We need to figure out where they went. Do you feel any dead nearby they could have used for a portal?"

"I…yes there is someone dead nearby. I can feel the crows picking at him."

Maka felt her stomach turn. "We need to go there. Kid, get us into the Design."

"Are you sure about that?" Soul cried staring at her determined face.

"Yes I'm sure. Kid, take us into the light!"


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's notes**

Sorry about the long hiatus. I would like to say I have not forgotten about the story or the people who are waiting for it. I am currently working on my own original work of fiction and have been plowing chapter after chapter into that since July of last year, about a month after I decided I needed a break from working with my nose to the grindstone on this story. I decided my original concepts of the Never After, the Grand Design needed their own world to play in, and that is what I have been working on. So I started writing a original steam punk fiction novel about this.

Obviously, I do not own Soul Eater, if I did that flying whale chapter would not exist. In addition, I am being cautious about how many good original ideas I am releasing in this story because like all authors one day I dream of being published.

I started developing my own characters and world. This book has been eating up most of my time along with work.

OK enough about me about the story. This is going to be a weird chapter, primarily because it revolves around a faith most of us are not involved in. If you are Zoroastrian, I need to talk to you! To make sure I got this right I did a lot of research for this and really debated on even releasing this chapter, because I want to get the traditional death rites right. I have not started writing on chapter 30 yet though I do have it outlined out. Therefore, I cannot say when the next chapter will get out. Currently this chapter is unedited. I know this one probably still needs some work but I self edited. (something functioning dyslexic, people like myself have no business doing.)

* * *

**Chapter 29 **

A whirl of magic and storm clouds gathered both Kid Maka Soul and Tsubaki together in a explosion of light they left the world of the living for the plane of the dead. Leaving the remains of the fallen zombies to the crows. Four Soul and Tsubaki the strange spiderlike tingling on their skin made their skin crawl but Maka had grown use to it and like the weightlessness pull of the dark Never After. It was strange how comfortable she felt here. As if she were weightless in water, as if floating here in the shadow world next to Kid with those burning eyes was how it should be. How it always should be. The worlds color bleed out of it and the dessert town twisted in the void into something different. A high-rise apartment something surreal devoid of color and depth where the shadows played tricks with her eyes. For a second she imagined she saw more zombies. However, there were none just empty shadows and the hum of Kid's magic next to her. On gray grass in a colorless world sat a lonely woman. Lying dead with the sprinklers twisting over her remains. The world returned to color as the four of them set down on the grass having completed their journey.

"Where could they have gone?" Maka wondered staring down at a rather mangled looking body. The crows were trying to pluck at.

Kid reached for his gun to clear the birds away, but found himself devoid of his weapons. He watched Maka scatter them angrily and could not help but shudder. The bone mask of death was firmly fixed to his face as he looked over the body. He hadn't felt his magic activate that strong before, something had felt different this time and his body was still sizzling with energy that had erupted from both his anger and his fear.

"Someone has made another jump from here, I can feel another death. They are using the grand design as if it is a subway, to travel from one place to the next. It is disgraceful; reaper magic should never be used that way."

Kids mind fled to his mother, feeling the all to similar magic she was using. Corruption, the world felt of corruption and it felt dirty. His feet planted in the wet grass, and he allowed color to bleed back into the world. Bringing them out of the ghost plane and back into reality. His cape coiled around him like smoke from a violent fire and he noticed both Soul and Tsubaki unconsciously took a step back from him.

"Why is it when you do that something just doesn't feel right?" Soul gaffed snarky as the cloak twisted around his legs. Like snakes, Soul fought the urge to dust himself off as the smoke seemed to take on a almost snaky like feeling as it curled up his pants legs.

"Maybe because no matter what I'm still death. Everything human about you is warning you that I am standing right next to you. Most humans don't like acknowledging death there for they don't like what they see when they look at me." Kid voiced darkly as he bent over the corpse. His hands fumbled around the medallion next to the throat of the woman and her shopping. It had to be Zoroastrian.

"It figures. This one is going to be a long one," Kid gritted through his teeth. His hands clenched to his side. He would love to just leave here right now leave and go onto the next death. However, the familiar sense of death magic was crawling up his veins and he knew this woman had to be reaped unless she makes another threat to the world. Another flesh-eating zombie.

Maka squeezed his hand sensing his line of thought, he hadn't notice her mind creeping into his brain and her thoughts spoke out loud what he had been thinking. She was obviously using that calming effect again trying to subdue the crowed of distraught folks around her, and currently it seemed to be working.

For effect, Maka voiced her thoughts out loud. "Can we do it later? Or leave it for the Soul birds?"

"No way around it. It's going to be a long one too. We used her death to get here, now we need to do our job. It's not our right to deprive her of a afterlife, and let her spirit wander while her flesh turns into a abomination."

"A long what?" Tsubaki broke in to the conversation her voice was quick and frightened. She was not comfortable just standing around here chatting. She did not understand why they were still standing around here looking at the expired remains of the slain woman. Her groceries had fallen this way and that; flat bread and wrapped meat had been thrown from the bag as if the woman had been gunned down on her pebbled driveway heading to her high-rise apartment. The sprinklers from the small green space were coating the four of them in water spraying everything around them. Moreover, for the life of her she couldn't figure out why the four of them were just standing there getting wet looking at a dead body.

"Do you think there are zombies around here?" Soul asked concerned his eyes wandering around the shadows. Fist clenched preparing for a fight. The tiny little scythes rippling over his fingers forming long metallic claws.

"Maybe be we should go ahead and leave here. Before whatever frightening thing Rasp left for us decides to slither out of the darkness."

"Your right Soul, It is odd there are no zombies left stumbling around here to protect their way." Kid coughed loudly. Bending down to cross the women's hands over one another. The feeling of the woman's hands ignited the familiar magic inside him. It was starting now he was going to have to reap her, no turning back now, and Tsubaki and Soul did not have a fathom of what that entailed.

"Leave her; we need to find Black Star and the girls." Tsubaki voice both aggressively and softly at the same time. Her foot made its way to where she felt something hot and sticky flitting in the dry air. There was not sand here, just a nice estate located in somewhere Maka had marked as the green zone.

"I can't do that." Kid barked annoyed. "She's dead, and if you haven't noticed the Soul birds seem preoccupied with cleaning and taking the souls of the zombies and her advisories. It makes since now all this time I thought it was because the changing of the guards so to speak, that I just couldn't control the birds but in reality they have been probably wasting their time annoying the zombies that have risen."

Maka began looking around the darkened yard confused. She was relieved that Kid was using some overly logical way of analyzing things to calm himself down and inwardly cheered.

"I mean were sitting here out in some ones driveway, the only thing I can see is a pool and that manicured lawn over there. Wait, are we still even in the middle east?"

"Yeah there's a big difference in the have and have-nots here. Obviously, she comes from a well to do family. Having a yard, for say and a swiming pool is a sign of great wealth, considering what it takes to maintain them out here in this dessert climate. Before you ask Maka were in United Arab Emirates we left the green zone of Iraq but were still not, far from where we were. And unlike Iraq these people have the freedom to choose Zoroastrianism as a religion is also something only the wealthy can afford"

Kid began unbuttoning the scarf and the blouse off the young woman and Tsubaki nearly kicked him over the corpse. The combat boot slapped against his back a piece of gravel trapped in its grooved pressed inward.

She began yelling angry "What the hell do you think you're doing disrobing her?

I have to reap her, I cannot just leave her like this, someone is bound to discover her and if you do not reap the Soul according to their death rites, they turn into what Maka likes to refer as hungry ghosts.

"What about Black Star and the girls if we stop now we might lose them we don't even know this woman."

Kid wanted to get into Tsubaki's face and yell about it, to explain he was just as worried as she was about the girls and Black Star, but physically he could not move. The reaper magic was compelling him forward. He had to reap the soul of the person or else be pulled right back to it. It being the true curse of the Shinigami it was a life of duty to the dead. How his mother had managed to avoid that step, was a complete mystery, but that was neither here nor there now.

"Just just go on without me, I don't have time to explain to you why I have to reap her soul, Maka can use the both of you as weapons and this won't take me long."

Kid extended his arm and the mirror again appeared at the other side of the body forming a new town and a new landscape within its frame. Tsubaki began making her way to it as did Maka but Soul stopped both of the girls standing in front of it.

"I don't think it's a good idea separating like this, you're the only one who can predict what the Grand Design will do to Maka and know when it's around. Just do what you got to do, we'll wait."

"But Black Star"? Tsubaki snarled at Soul.

Kid's eyebrow twitched angrily and he put his mask back on to hide his face. An angry reaper was not a pleasant thing to behold and the robes moved like storm clouds around him. "I don't have time to argue with you Tsubaki! I don't want to do it either, but physically I can't leave here right now. Now your upsetting the dead so please just shut up and let me do my job."

Tsubaki tried to urge Kid again but this time Kid was too pissed off, he refused to listen, he pulled out a small hourglass from his pocket and shook it up so all the sand was at one end. Quickly he flipped it to begin the sand to fall. With a Small incantation he tipped the hourglass to the side the sand lay unmoving in the hour and he smiled as the world stopped. Both Maka Soul and Tsubaki were frozen in place Tsubaki's mouth open in mid rant her finger pointed to where he had been standing.

He gave Maka's arm a good tug and yanked her into shadow plain with him. She stumbled for a second feeling caught off guard and looked around at Soul and Tsubaki who stood there like wax statues frozen in time.

"What the hell did you do," Maka blubbered. Her eyes grew large a she began waving her hand in front of Tsubaki's and Souls face and received no response. Both of them were frozen like statues Tsubaki in mid rant and Soul in an odd face clasping his head in annoyance.

"I stole some of the sand from the big hour glass, and put it in an empty one. So I could stop time like my father does."

"You did what! What's going to happen to them why are they just froze like that."

"They go back to normal once I topple the glass back over. This way we will not lose time, and allow my mother and her accomplices to get away. Besides the sooner we get this reap done the sooner we can go looking for the girls and Black Star. But this is a Zoroastrian reap, and frankly Tsubaki with all her ranting managed to scare the ghost away. I know she's worried and I'm worried to but Maka I'm not allowed to continue on without reaping this woman's Soul we used the grand design to get here so basically I'm kind of stuck and can't move forward."

Maka rubbed the bridge of her nose and looked at Kid wearily "So where did the ghost run off to?"

"I think east or maybe it was west?" Kid stammered.

"So we lost the ghost? Now we have to run it down. Lovely, as if my day wasn't bad enough."

"Just wait until you half to perform the reap." Kid mumbled under his breath dragging Maka into the black and white world of the ghost plain. A ghostly blue trail of flames shimmered into the now colorless city of the UAE. As the two of them scrambled through the window of the third story apartment Maka noticed wherever the ghost had fled had left a stream of blue light.

Maka knelt beside the dead woman within the canisters and examined the amulet around her neck.

"Kid, I know we're in UAE, but why this looks Egyptian does."

She raised the amulet, ignoring the twitching of the woman's dead body. By now she knew she couldn't alter her fate; the loud ticking noise coming from her meant that her time was up. What it was counting down to now, was a mystery to her.

"It's Zoroastrianism. We're going to have to take care of this one ourselves." Kid announced.

"What do you mean?"

"The Zoroastrian faith dictates that the body must be disposed of a specific way. The ghost won't be satisfied otherwise. Hopefully she'll come wandering back after we perform the rights. Death is seen as a win for evil in Zoroastrianism. So this time, you and I have to play the bad guys."

Maka looked at Kid nervously. What do you mean? I haven't gotten to Zoroastrianism in the comparative religion books I'm reading."

Kid took Maka by the hand and backed her away from the body. "Remember what I told you about not putting down anyone's faith, no matter how odd it seems to you?"

"Yeah, cultural pluralism. I get it now. I have no right to judge one culture by the standards of my own. Believe me Kid, it's sinking in. The more I learn about all these religions the more questions I have."

"Well this one might be the ultimate test for you." Kid reached into Maka's pocket and handed her a mask shaped like the top half of a skull. It looked very sinister, and very authentic.

"Is this bone?" Maka whispered, clutching the edge of the mask.

"It's Dad's old one. We'll get you your own soon. But for now it's the only spare I have."

Kid propped his mask on top of his head and placed the bone one over Maka's face. Kid's ominous words filled her with apprehension.

"I'm going to do this one. You don't speak Iranian and I really don't think you're ready for this type of reap right off the bat. Since we're out in the middle of nowhere and the guy has no ID we don't have a way to make sure his body will be taken care of or if he has a family we need to contact. We'll have to perform the Zoroastrian death rites ourselves and dispose of the body so we don't end up with a hungry ghost.

Maka gulped and twisted her hands together. "Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it. I'll save all my questions till after we're done."

Kid grinned lightly and raised Maka's mask up to give her a quick peck on the lips.

"You really trust me that much. I love that about you."

Maka nodded. "Let's get this over with."

"The reap part will be simple; we're going to sit with her, recite a few prayers and put some pomegranate seeds and a few drops of Haoma water in her mouth."

Maka nodded, wondering what on earth Haoma water was. She watched, mystified, as Kid made a few hand motions and pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket. He drew a circle on the ground, filled it with runes, and then stabbed it with the tip of his shoe a few times, scuffing the runes back out. Maka had never seen him do anything like it before and wondered what he was trying to accomplish. Kid reached back into his pocket and pulled out a handful of what look like kosher salt, which he flung at the circle . The salt smacked into something in midair. As it rolled down the invisible object, a door appeared from nowhere. It was black and had a big skull for a door knocker that was similar to the one Maka wore over her face. Kid twisted the knob and the door creaked open noisily. It opened onto a room that looked like a cross between a pantry and a closet.

"Whoa." Maka gasped. She wished that she hadn't promised to save her questions till after he was done because she had massive amounts of them now. Kid shuffled through the shelves and pulled out a long black hooded robe and a box of scissors, tape and other office supplies. He handed the robe to Maka, and she assumed she was supposed to put it on. Kid grabbed a pomegranate from a fruit basket, a book, and three bottles; one clear, one bright green and another bright yellow. Maka was becoming more and more uneasy. What the heck was all of it for?

Kid turned around, saw Maka dressed in the heavy black robe and came over to put the hood over her head. "Now you look like a real reaper. I just wish I had a white one for you to wear."

She remained silent as Kid cut the pomegranate in half and began to eat its' seeds. He handed the other half of it to Maka.

She took, it feeling baffled. "So we eat fruit before reaping people from Zoroastrian faith?"

Kid cracked up. "No, I was just hungry and I thought you would be too. We only need a couple of seeds for the reap; no sense wasting the whole fruit."

Maka felt extremely stupid as she dug out a handful of seeds and shoved them into her mouth. "You really like messing with me don't you?"

"No, not at all, this is all necessary."

He picked up all the stuff he had gathered and led the way back outside. Then he extracted a cue card from the notebook in his pocket and pushed it into Maka' hand.

"Read this and repeat it after me with the woman over there. Keep it tucked in cloak sleeve and keep your head down. Oh, and it's best if he doesn't see your pigtails."

Maka nodded and the hood fell over her face. The little note card had everything spelled out phonetically and she read it over.

"It's called the Patet. It's a prayer for the repentance of one's sins." Kid explained and they moved over to the girl, who continued to wheeze

"She's unconscious; at least we know she's not suffering. Let's start."

Kid began speaking in a foreign tongue and Maka repeated the words he said directly after him. She was surprised to see that the body had not surrendered its' ghost yet. The woman lay there unmoving, as if she was sleeping. Kid continued to repeat the prayer and soon Maka was able to catch up with him and say the same words along with him. The light of the Never After began streaming into the room. The man's soul stirred and he began repeating the prayers being spoken over him. Kid mixed a clear liquid, which Maka assumed was the Haoma water, with a small bit of what smelled like melon juice. He placed a few drops on the girls tongue and the ghost began loosening itself from his body. As the ghost completely freed itself Kid dropped a few pomegranate seeds into the mouth of the deceased.

Kid spoke to the ghost who nodded and looked down at her own body. As usual Kid placed his hand over the ghost's eyes as he reached into its' chest. He pulled out the familiar hour glass and handed it to Maka. The ghost disappeared and the little blue soul took off into the Never After.

"That wasn't so bad." Maka said, watching the soul speed away into the night.

"Were not done yet." Kid mumbled.

"As I was afraid of, she has no family or friends that will be able to take care of her, so we'll have to complete the whole ceremony. She does not have any money either, so a church service is out of the question. Evidently like most of our generation she's living off credit cards."

"Can't we just pay for one?" Maka asked and pulled the mask from her face. She was beginning to sweat in the heavy hooded robe. It was made for winter and snow, not for wearing over military fatigues uniform in the desert. The layers of fabric were nearly killing her, not to mention the heavy body armor.

"So what more do we have to do?

"We have to wash and prepare the body and dispose of it."

Maka's face went white. "Like bury her? Or cremate her?"

"No," Kid answered darkly, "Death is considered the domain of evil by Zoroastrians. They believe it comes from the realm of a demon named Ahiramn, and that it grants him temporary victory over this world. They see death as a form of contamination so they don't believe in burial, cremation or a watery grave. We have to prepare the corpse so the scavengers can pick it clean.

Maka's eyes widened. "We're going to prepare it to be desecrated by animals?"

"It's a cycle of life thing. We'll clean and prepare the body and take it to the silent tower, where it will be consumed by animals."

Kid watched a horrified look form on Maka's face. "On top of that we have to come back later on and remove the disintegrated bones to another place."

"But…but…_why_."

"Because it's her faith and we're all she has." Kid said simply.

Maka put her hand to her chest feeling like her heart was going to crash into her ribs. She took as deep breath and her resolve began forming. The sooner she got this over with the sooner they could go find Patty and Black Star, it was inevitable she would have to do this some time, but why did it have to be now when they were hot on the chase of Gunner and crew.

"If we're all she has then we can't separate her from her beliefs. We have to do it right? Because it's not our place to judge and not do it."

" I know it's hard for you, but this is a great honor Maka. She's has entrusted us with the last moment of her life with the understanding that we'll see things through. I know it's not what you grew up with and it may seem weird to you, but this is powerful stuff."

Maka swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. Kid was right, it was a honor to be entrusted with the last details of someone death. She would do it just as the woman wanted, even though her previous beliefs screamed that it was all weird and wrong.

"Just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

Kid took a pair of shears from the box of office supplies. "Go get a pair of white pants and a shirt from the closet. They'll be made of a light gauzy material. Grab a white sheet too." Maka opened the closet back up and looked around more closely at its' contents. It contained everything needed to perform the last rights for every religion of the world. She found the gauzy linen shirt and pants and took them out to Kid along with the white sheet. She watched, interested as Kid began removing the girls clothes, explaining as he worked.

"Clothes are seen as carrying filth and disease into the world from the dead, and they have to be disposed of. The body will be unclothed when we place her in the dakma, which means 'silent tower'. Dakmas are a type of open mausoleum on the outside of town. They have no roofs so the scavengers can get in."

Maka felt her stomach lurch as she laid the sheet down before kid as he finished shearing off the man's clothes. "Could you please get me some water, a wash basin and a sponge now?"

Maka fetched the water and poured it into the basin. She wondered for a second of the two of them should use soap but Kid hadn't told her to get any.

Kid moved away from the body and gave Maka room to sit beside the newly deceased and now naked girl. She reached out with the sponge in her trembling hand and it passed straight through the body. Kid took her wrist, the same one holding the sponge and she watched the world snap from monotone grays back to color. He had pulled her back to reality from The Gray in which the ghosts walked.

"You can't wash it on the ghost plain. We have to do that in the real world."

Maka again felt out of the loop and confused. She had not even noticed that Kid had stepped back; he'd done it so fast. She felt herself blush and she ran the wet sponge over the naked girl. She didn't even know this person and she was bathing her corpse. _Talk about weird religious customs_, she thought to herself. She chased the thought out of her mind, and chastised herself. It was the woman's right and she had no place to judge.

She closed her eyes as she washed her, not wanting to look down at the body. Kid lifted the body, removing the tattered clothes and disposing them in a trash bag while Maka tried to wipe the sand and dust from it. She stopped when Kid began dressing the girl in the gauzy white linen. She felt relieved, glad to be seeing her clothed so she would have her modesty intact. "I thought you said that the body will be naked when we put it in the mausoleum thing." It seemed easier to leave him clothed, but if animals would be eating the corpse and she understood the clothes would inhibit them.

"It will. We'll need to take the clothes off when we get there. This is just to allow us to get her to the Dakmas. It's a more modern step, in the old days they didn't do this."

Maka considered concept of a faith changing its funeral practices.

"Has anything else changed from the old times? Kind of interesting if you look at it from an anthropological point of view."

"At one time they used a type of burial mound. In more remote areas people will dig a three inch hole and rest the body there instead of using the Dakmas. Lucky for us there's Dakmas in this region since Zoroastrian faith is having a huge comeback in this part of the world."

Kid finished dressing the body.

"Okay, we're going to take the body into the ghost plane and use a little reaper magic to take it to the Dakmas." Kid drizzled the girl with a yellow liquid that smelled strongly of ammonia, but more rancid. He then adjusted the body on sheet so they could use it as a gurney.

"What did you just put on her hands? Some kind of holy ointment?"

Kid winced hard and began stammering nervously. "Its…uh…well…no, you see it's actually…ox urine. Don't ask, okay? It's part of the ritual. I didn't make these beliefs up; I just see that it gets done the way it's supposed to get done."

Kid's mouth was set in a hard line and Maka realized how difficult some of the burial practices were for him. Many of them had to put his OCPD into overdrive, but he put the dead before himself and forced himself past the distress he had to be feeling. Maka felt her heart swell with love and made a silent promise to dismiss her own prejudices and be as strong as he was.

Kid stepped away from the body and flashed them back to the ghost plane, where he began rooting in the closet again. He handed Maka a heavier set of white linen clothes and got another for himself.

Maka yanked the black cloak over her head, happy to get away from the heat. She stripped off the body armor and her sweat soaked clothes, and redressed in the plain white linen top and pants. She sighed in relief as the heat wicked away from her skin.

"About how many people practice this faith Kid?"

"Not many only about 180,000. They are popping up though all around the world both in the US and Canada now as well as Pakistan, India, and Iran."

Kid dropped down a mirror, which lead the way into a big tower. With an open roof. There were buzzard and other scavengers circling the tower that made Maka nervous.

"What do we do now?"

"Help me carry it to the tower. Then we remove the clothes say one more prayer and then were done."

Maka nodded wiping the sweet from her forehead. As they laid the body down inside the open roofed building, it was hard work. Nevertheless, the ghost had come back and they didn't have to chase it down. Watching her remains being placed. Kid said a few more words and removed the linen.

Several other remains burst into blue light and they watched as there ghosts went speeding off.

"Guess we had some stragglers." Kid announced closing up the dakmas. It occurred to him then, how easily the soul left the body when the right death rites were performed. Strange how quickly the souls just sped out. Suddenly he had a realization, the girl's faith along with the death rites had prevented her from turning to a zombie, something he could feel she was on the cusp of doing. What exactly would happen if he performed a death rite on a zombie itself? The thought was provoking but Maka was tugging on his sleeve. Obviously, she wanted to leave the foul smelling tower.

"We can go on now right?" Maka said urging Kid to get a move on.

"Yeah ." Kid sighed, "Preparing himself for the onslaught of questions."

"So the roof is left open so nature can do its thing?" Maka whispered ducking back through the portal where they had left.

"Yep, and that's the way the religion believes."

Maka winced, but said nothing.

"What no more questions?"

"No. Not much, you can ask after that. I am going to have to read a lot more about this to understand it though."

"Maka." Kid growled kicking the hourglass over and bringing time to a start. It was strange he was calm now and she did not need to use her powers at all. It was like the reap had brought him back from whatever inner turmoil he was experiencing, and now he was as calm and level headed as always.

As time vaulted forward Tsubaki fell forward taking a few steps looking around abruptly and Soul nearly fell in the sprinkler. They looked around confused taking in there surrounding feeling that something had changed but unsure of what. Finally, Soul looked down.

"Whoa, where did the stiff go?" Soul asked looking around confused.

"We took care of it." Maka complained glumly.

"We can go on now. No time to waste." Kid said laying a hand on Tsubaki's shoulder.

"You changed clothes?" Tsubaki said startled and confused. Seeing both Kid and Maka were now dressed in white linen tops and bottoms, and looking completely exhausted.

"I can feel the pull of the magic to the next location, we can go on through."

Tsubaki took a step forward into the clouds of reaper magic and was engulfed in the cloud of magic. Soul stayed there looking unsure.

"That girl she's not going to turn into a zombie like my brother and start eating the people in this apartment is she?"

"You can rest assured she is not going to turn into a zombie. Nor will she be making more." Kid assured him.

"Why aren't you wiggin' out anymore?" Soul asked watching Maka follow after Tsubaki into the light.

Kid just shook his head. Repetition and doing things I know has a way of calming me down. I know that Black Star, Patty and Liz will be ok. Because I just am not feeling their deaths. We will find them in time. Death can always find people in time.

"What does that mean?" Soul complained feeling unnerved at how quickly Kid had went from basket case to well his normal level of weird.

"It means I know what to do finally. It occurred to me when I was taking care of that corpse."

"Oh and what's that."

"We all just need to have a little faith." Kid said with a secretive smile, we will get ours back and we will punish he wicked with what they need the most.

* * *

Next Chapter Patty Liz and Black Star in New York


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